Magical Destiny
by Si Li
Summary: With the jewel finished and Naraku dead, Kagome must fulfill her true destiny. She is hurled into a kingdom in the midst of turmoil. Together with her new found friends, she must save the kingdom.
1. A New Journey

Darkness and complete nothingness surrounded the lone pale female figure. Her only sign of life was the gentle rise and fall of her chest. "Kagome." A lone voice echoed into the darkness, slowly drawing the young woman from her slumber. 'Where am I?' Kagome thought.

"Kagome." Once again, the voice called out. Sapphire blue eyes slowly opened in hopes of trying to identify where the voice was coming from. Blurry, blinking eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. In the distance, Kagome could make out a white misty figure slowly approaching her.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked unable to make out the identity of the figure. She knew the figure was female, her voice was too high and soft to be male. The question was who would be calling her. She would have been able to recognize if it were Sango or Kaede.

As the figure slowly made their way over, Kagome could start to make out the traditional miko garbs that the woman wore. Slowly and slowly, the figure became clearer until she was able to make out her face.

Kagome's eyes grew large in shock, as she took in the woman, unable to believe who had been calling her. "Midoriko…." Kagome managed to whisper out. The last time she saw the woman was in her cave. Her body preserved for all time in stone.

Midoriko smiled at the young woman, while taking in the how much she had grown over her journey. Her face had lost what little baby fat it had, making her beautiful cheekbones stand out. Her body was tone, not an ounce of fat. Her curvaceous silhouette clearly indicated that the young woman was indeed very much a woman. She had obviously been growing her hair out as it now reached her lower back. "Yes, child, it is I."

"Where am I?" Kagome asked coming out of her stupor, looking around for any evidence of the world she knew. However, everything was black. She could not even make out the ground they were standing on.

"We are in the Shikon no Tama. Your journey has ended and you have shown great courage in your battle against evil hanyou, Naraku. You risked everything to rid the world of his evil."

Thoughts started to fill Kagome's head. The last thing she remembered was being pierced by Naraku's tentacle and feeling her life slip away from her. Determined not to die without a fight she forced all her power into the tentacle. The last thing she heard was Naraku's screams.

It took a few minutes before she managed to gather the courage to ask the question she was not sure she wanted to know the answer to. "Am I dead?" When she saw the sad smile that crossed Midoriko's beautiful face she knew that something bad had happened.

"Did die, but you are not quite dead yet." Noticing the confusion on the young woman's face, Midoriko continued. "You are dead to that world. You will never be able to return for your era nor the feudal era. However, your destiny was not meant to end here. You will be given a new life and a new journey."

"Why? I have completed the jewel and defeated Naraku. What more could the fates want from me?" cried Kagome. She had spent the last three years searching for the shards of the Shikon no Tama, battling demon, all while trying to defeat Naraku. She never got to see the peace that would spread across Japan with the death of the evil hanyou, but most importantly she never got to say good bye to her friends and family.

Midoriko walked up to Kagome, her shoulder length hair flowing behind her and put her arms around the sobbing woman. Calmly rocking the young woman, she waited patiently, letting all the news soak in. When the young woman finally stopped shaking, Midoriko gently whispered words of encouragement. "I can promise you that you will find new friends and happiness on your next journey. I know how much you miss your friends and family, and I know nothing can ever replace them, but you are needed elsewhere. Without you people will perish."

That seemed to calm her down as the tears had finally stopped. Kagome did not have it in her heart to sit by while people suffered, especially when she could do something about it. With a slight shake of her head, Kagome cleared her mind of her selfish and depressive thoughts. Stepping back, she looked up at the silent woman, taking note the sorrowful look on the older woman's face.

Wiping the last traces of tears from her eyes, Kagome gave her a firm and determined look before asking, "What am I to do this time?"

Midoriko smiled, seeing the woman's inner strength return. It was good, she would need that strength in the challenges to come. "Your strength and wisdom is needed to save a kingdom." Midoriko paused for a moment before continuing, "However, before your journey can begin, I must teach you how to wield a sword and help you properly train your powers." Midoriko slowly pulled out her sword from its place by her side, as one suddenly appeared before Kagome's eyes.

"What do you mean train my powers? Do you mean like healing and barriers?" Kagome asked grasping the sword. Before she had "died", she was studying how to control her powers with Miroku and Kaede. She only managed to heal a few cuts and form a weak barrier abound her body.

"Yes and no." Midoriko told her, "Your powers have increased greatly since the jewel has merged with you. Your powers now surpass even my own." Kagome's eyes once again got big. She had heard stories of Midoriko's power. She could form barriers that even the red tessaiga could not break. She also could purify one hundred demons without the use of a weapon and was able to battle demons for seven days without rest.

"I will teach you how to not only heal and use barriers, but also how to use your powers as a weapon against humans…"

"I thought my powers could only work on demons?" Kagome interrupted. "How can they work against humans?"

"Even humans hold imperfections and taint that is able to be purified. However, I will show you how to solidify your powers into weapons, much like we do when creating a barrier." Midoriko explained to her. "I will also teach you how to preform incantations and spells."

"Spells? I thought only dark priestesses used spells." Kagome asked her, confusion once again etched on her face.

"You are about to enter a land with old magic, you will have access to the magic of our world and of theirs." Midoriko told her before continuing. "Now, you have a lot to learn and while we have all the time in the world, we should not waste it."

Kagome nodded before holding the sword out in front of her.

Swords clashed through the empty void, as the two women fiercely battle each other. Flashes of pink light contrasted heavily against the black, like lightning on a stormy night. The figures were moving so fast they were almost a blur, until they were both knocked back panting.

Midoriko was covered in cuts, while Kagome did not have a scratch on her. The only evidence that she had been fighting was the beads of sweat that trickled down her brow and her heavy breathing.

Midoriko slowly stood up and faced the younger woman. She had done exceptionally well in her training and was ready to begin her journey. "You have done well, my child," Midoriko smiled as she approached the female warrior she had trained. They had been training for what could equate to about forty human years. Kagome had taken in all she could teach her and had even surprised her with her resourcefulness.

Kagome had not only perfected the art of sword fighting, but also trained herself how to use a whip. When Midoriko asked how she came up with the idea of forming her powers into a whip, she stated that she has seen Sesshomaru fight with an acid whip and thought that it would be a useful skill to learn, as well.

"I believe you are ready to start your journey." Midoriko told her sliding her sword back into its sheath. "You have learned everything I have to teach you."

"It has been an honor, Midoriko-sensei." Kagome bowed to the older woman in respect. During her time here, the two had grown close. Midoriko was like an older sister to her and had helped her transition.

"Now, it is time for me to leave and for you to enter the real world once again." Midoriko placed her hands on Kagome's shoulders just before the entire area was filled with a bright white light.

"Remember… I am always with you…." Midoriko whispered as she faded off into the background.

Merlin stumbled through the thick forest just outside of Camelot. It was a hot and humid day, he smelled and really wanted to get out of this heat. However, he cannot return until her found the stupid Burdock root Gaius the court physician sent him to find.

"Do not worry, Merlin, the plant will be easy to find. They grow about anywhere." Merlin mumbled as he searched the forest for the elusive plant. "If it was so easy to find why have I not found it?"

This was getting ridiculous, he had been searching for hours and had yet to see the plant. To make matters worse, he only had about two more hours' worth of light left. Just as he was about to give up he noticed and risk facing Gaius empty handed he noticed the plant growing by the base of a big tree.

"Finally, I really did not want to go back empty handed. As it is, I am likely to get lectured on how long it took me." Merlin went over to the tree. Reaching down to pull the plant out of the ground, he paused noticing something strange amongst the foliage. Reaching down gently touched the dark black strands that coved the fallen leaves.

"Hair?" Merlin said aloud. Picking it up slightly, he noticed that the hair was coming from the other side of the tree. After picking up the plant and putting it into his pouch, Merlin made his way to the other side of the tree.

He came quickly to a halt when he noticed whom the hair belonged to. Leaning against the other side of the tree was a beautiful maiden. She had almond like eyes, a cute button nose, and full pouty red lips.

As he moved in closer, he could make out the subtle rise and fall of her chest, meaning that she was alive. However, she did not appear to have any wounds, so the reason for her unconscious state was a mystery. She was dressed in odd clothing. Her red pants were wide, increasing in size as they reached her ankles. Her white shirt had huge sleeves that became bigger as they went down her arm, and the shoes were made of wood and fabric.

Noticing the sun was about to set, Merlin decided that it would be best if he brought the woman back with him. She would not make the night left alone out here; the wolves would have surely gotten to her.

"Let's get you back to Camelot. Perhaps Gaius can take a look at you and find out why you are unconscious." He really wished he had brought a horse. He had originally thought he could use the exercise, but he had not expected to be searching half the forest, nor stumbling upon the woman. "It's a good thing you do not weigh that much or this might be really difficult."

Merlin had barely entered the castle gate before he heard his name being called out. "Merlin! Where have you been? I was looking all over for you!" Arthur yelled at him as he ran towards the man. He needed his armor polished and being unable to locate his manservant, Merlin, he had to find another servant to polish it for him.

"I had to go into the forest, Gaius needed more Burdock root." Merlin explained with a slight sigh in his voice. "I did not intent to be gone so long but I had a hard time finding the plant. Never trust Gaius when he said that something should be easy to find." He was exhausted and just wanted to climb into bed. He did not have the energy to argue with Arthur at the moment.

Apparently, Arthur must have noticed his exhaustion because he dropped the subject. "Well, make sure that it doesn't happen again." Looking down, Arthur finally noticed the small woman in Merlin's arms. "Ahh..Who is that?" Arthur asked pointing to the woman. He had never seen Merlin with a woman, well except for Gwen.

"I don't know who she is. I found her unconscious lying in the forest. She does not have any visible wounds, but she has not woken since I found her. I was going to see if Gaius can take a look at her." Merlin told him, looking down at the woman in his arms.

"Well then, let me take her. You are not known for your strength. I am surprised you have not dropped her already." Too tired to argue with him, Merlin merely nodded before passing the girl to Arthur. Relief filled his aching muscles with the absence of the woman's weight.

"Well don't just stand there. Lead the way!" Arthur yelled when Merlin just stood there stretching his shoulders.

Gaius quickly moved throughout the room gathering supplies that he needed to make more pain medication for the king. Glancing out the window, noticing how dark it was getting, a small frown made its way onto his aged face. He had sent Merlin out to get some Burdock took a while ago and had yet to hear from the boy. He hoped nothing happened to him. The lands were unsafe at the moment. Perhaps it was not the best idea to send him out alone, but he figured that if Merlin did find trouble he could easily handle it, he was a sorcerer after all.

The sound of the door opening startled him out of his thoughts. Relief filled him when he say Merlin making his way into the room. "Where on Earth have you been?" he asked silently taking in the boys rugged, worn down look.

"I was out getting that root of yours, the one you asked me to find." Merlin dropped the bag containing the plant onto the table and plopped down in one of the chair surrounding it. Noticing the disbelief on the older man's face, Merlin quickly added. "It's true! I spent have the day searching the forest for it."

Before another word could be spoken, the sound of someone clearing their throat was heard. Turning around, Gaius noticed the prince for the first time and the woman he carried in his arms. "A much as I would love your conversation, she is getting heavy."

"I thought you were the strong soldier." Merlin joked at him, having regained enough energy to tease the prince. Arthur shot Merlin a nasty glare, one that would normally indicate severe pain.

"Ah, Prince Arthur. Who might you have there?" Gaius asked looking at the young woman. He had never seen her in the city before and she did not appear to be from around here. That means she was either lost, traveling, or was kidnapped.

"I don't know. Merlin found her in the forest. Can I please set her down? She maybe small, but she still does weigh a bit." Arthur complained shifting Kagome's weight around slightly in order to get a better grip.

"Ah, yes, of course. Set her on the bed over there." Gaius pointed to one of the small cots in the middle of the room. It was not the most comfortable of beds, but then again this was a not an inn but a medical room.

Arthur walked over to the bed and gently laid the young woman on the bed. "Merlin says she has not woken up since he stumbled upon her. Any idea why she will not wake up? I didn't see any wounds on her."

"Not all injuries can be seen on the body. There could be bleeding in her head that is keeping her in her unconscious state or it could be a poison that is flowing throughout her body. Let us hope, for her sake, that neither is the case." Gaius explained as he started to examine the young woman. He checked her head for any indications of head wounds and her pulse for signs of poison. Exhaling softly he turned to the two young men.

"Well I see no indication of trauma to the head, nor does she display any signs of poison. However, I believe I will keep her here for the night, just to be on the safe side."

Before anyone could say anything else, the door to the room burst open. Gwen had tears gathering in her eyes as she tried to catch just enough breathe to speak. "The king…" she gasped out, "The king has…"

"What about the king?" Arthur asked running up to the shaking woman, grabbing her forearms to hold her steady.

"The king… the king has been poisoned!" she managed to shout out after taking in a deep breath. Silence filled the room for a brief moment before panic set in.

"What do you mean poisoned?" He asked shaking her slightly. His father was very careful when it came to his food and drinks, especially in a time like this, where danger lurked everywhere.

"How did this happen?" Gaius asked, putting a hand on Arthur arm to stop his shaking of the poor girl.

"I do not know. He had just started reading a letter when he started shaking and vomiting." She told them, trying desperately to calm down and think.

"Where is the king now?" Gaius knew this was not good. Only a few poisons worked this rapidly through only skin contact and none of them were good news."

Guard slowly pushed the slightly open door open. The king rested on a gurney they carried. His breathing was short and rapid, and his brow was covered in sweat. "Ah mm ba." The king mumbled in pain.

"Put him over on the bed." Gaius quickly walked over to the only open bed left. "I need to have a look at him."

The guards gently laid their confused and ill king on the bed, stepping back while the court physician examined the king. Gaius quickly checked the king, taking in any possible symptoms of the poison. They had to hurry and identify the poison if the King was going to make it.

"Is he going to make it?" Arthur asked quietly. He had seen his father sick before, but never had he seen him like this. He look like he was on the verge of death and if he was honest, it terrified him.

Putting down his magnifying glass, Gaius looked up at all the worried faces. "Gwen. I need you to return to the king's study and retrieve that letter, but whatever you do, do not let it touch your skin."

Gwen nodded before rushing out of the room. The other still stood there awaiting news. "What kind of poison attacks from the skin?" Arthur once asked. Normally poison had to be ingested, which is why the kings food and water was always tested before being served to him.

"There are a few very poisonous plants that can kill simply through contact with the skin." Gaius sighed looking down at the king. "However, without knowing what the poison is I cannot create an antidote."

Gwen returned with the letter. She had wrapped the thing in several linens before picking it up. Luckily, no one had touched the letter in the panic.

"Put it on the desk, dear girl." Gaius stood up and made his way over to his workbench. Carefully, he pulled the linens back. A frown covered his face and he gently turned the letter over with a par of tongs. Pulling out his magnifying glass, he started looking for any traces of the poison. Reach over and grabbing a small knife, and gently scrape a thin film off the letter. He bent down and sniffed the letter before sitting back up with a grim look on his face.

"Well, do you know what it is?" Arthur asked, growing impatient. His father was currently lying on the bed struggling to breathe. The longer it took to identify the poison the closer his father was to death.

"It's wolfs bane. The letter is covered in a thin ointment containing the poison." Gaius said. Everyone in the room could hear the defeat in his voice. Whatever this wolf's bane was, it was serious.

"But know that you know what it is, you can create a cure for it, right?" asked Arthur. He did not like tone of voice or the body posture in the old man. Since telling them, what the poison was he had yet to move from his seat on the workbench.

"No, I cannot. There is no antidote or magic that can cure someone suffering from wolf's bane poisoning." The only sound in the room was Gwen's choked sobs.

"How long?" Arthur's shaky voice asked, just barely above a whisper. He did not know if he was angry or heartbroken, but he decided to go with anger, not wanting to face his grief.

"It depends on how long he was exposed." Gaius told the young prince truthfully. "It could be a matter of hours or days."

Arthur straightens up his posture looking at the Gaius in the eyes. He carried angry determined look. Someone was going to pay for poisoning his father and when he found out who it was he was going to kill him. "Gaius, where would one buy Wolf's bane?"

"No, shops in town would sell it, due to its association with witch craft. It either came from another town or it was gathered from the wild." Gaius stated. The prince needed to settle this if he was going to get over the soon to be death of his father. "The plant mainly grows in mountainous regions, but it can be found in meadows."

Nodding Arthur quickly turned and headed towards the door, the guards following him. Stopping he turned around to look at the dark haired man. "Merlin, you are coming too."

Merlin looked up at his friend. He had been deep in thought as to who could have done this. He had an aching suspicion that it was Morgana and Morgause, but he could not tell Arthur his suspicions, no one but he and Gaius knew that Morgana was a witch. Merlin stood up and approached his friend and master, even if he could not prove it was Morgana, he could at least keep an eye on her.

Gaius watched as the men left the room. Times were going to get even tougher. He only hoped the kingdom will survive. "Gwen, my dear, why don't you go rest? I will keep watch over him." The young girl was currently sitting by the king's side, holding his hand and wiping the sweat off his brow. She looked tired. No doubt, this whole event drained her of her energy.

Quietly she nodded and stood up making her way towards the door. She opened the door before pausing to glance at Gaius one last time. "Let me know if…" She trailed off unable to speak the words.

"I will let you know. Get some rest, Gwen." With Gaius's assurance, she left the room. She knew she should find Morgana. No doubt, the woman would want to be by the king's side. He was, after all, her only father figure.

Gaius watched as the last person left the room, leaving him alone with his two charges. Looking at his old friend, he could not help the thought that trailed in his mind. _'How will we make it through this tragedy?_'

Morgana stood in her chambers, a sinister smile on her face as she watched the last of the wolf's bane ointment Morgause had given her, burn in the fireplace. The fools would never suspect the beautiful and ever faithful ward of the king as the one who poisoned him.

In a manner of hours, the king should be dead. With him gone, Arthur was the last person standing in the way. She and her sister would rule over this kingdom and bring magic back to its rightful place in the hierarchy, at the top.

A soft knock echoed throughout the room. Quickly turning away from the fireplace, she sat down at the end of her bed. "Enter."

Gwen slowly opened the door. She did not know how Morgana would take the news and dreaded telling her, but someone had to. It was better if she said it than someone else. "My lady, I come with new of the king."

"What do you mean? Has something happened?" Morgana asked. Her face took on the look of a worried daughter and her voice dripped with fake concern.

Unable to hold back her tears, Gwen choked back her sobs enough to answer the woman she considered a dear friend. "He has been poisoned, my lady."

Hiding the smile that wanted to creep across her face, Morgana quickly stood and rushed over to the crying servant girl. "What do you mean poisoned? Surely Gaius could save him, like he did Merlin."

"There is no cure for what ails the king. It is witches magic!" Gwen cried out. Morgana looked devastated when she heard those words and it only made Gwen feel worse.

"You mean he is going to die? How long does he have?" Morgana asked sitting back on her bed with a stunned look on her face. It was a good thing she was a great actress, otherwise she would be grinning with excitement right now.

"Gaius says he has maybe a few hours or it could be a few days. It all depends on how much contact he had with the poison." Gwen walked over and sat on the bed next to the other woman. "If you want I can bring you to him." She told her softly.

Tears pricked at Morgana's eyes as she looked into the face of her friend. "I can't! I can't see him like that, not yet!" She cried out before burying her head into the servant girl's shoulders. She wanted nothing more than to watch the fool suffer, but she had no doubt Merlin would try to stop her.

"It's alright. You don't have too." Gwen calmly told her, her tears stopping at the sight of her friends. She needed to be strong for Morgana.

"Would you stay with me Gwen?" Morgana pleaded. All this emotions were sickening her, but she had to be convincing, otherwise Merlin would suspect her even more than he already did, no doubt.

"Of course, I will. I will stay as long as you need me too."

Gaius had spent the majority of the evening mixing herbs that would aid the king's breathing and fever. However, hours later all the worry and exhaustion set in, causing him to fall asleep at his workbench.

A slight stirring sounded throughout the quiet room as Kagome slowly came too. Opening up her eyes, she waited as they adjusted to the dark room. She took in all the books and the smells of herbs. If she had to guess, she would say she was in a room equivalent to an infirmary. Quietly, she slowly started to sit up. He body did not seem to be suffering from any damage from her battle with Naraku. The jewel must have healed her when it merged with her.

As she quietly assessed herself, she felt two auras brush against her own, the first aura was aged and the second was laced with taint. Glancing around the first figure she notices was the old male slumped over the desk. It was not until a quiet moan sounded next to her that she noticed the other patient in the room.

He was sweating and mumbling, clearly delirious. He was no doubt going to die if she did not doing something. Standing up she silently made her way over to him. The man had seen many battles as seen from the scar over his right eye. He was a strong warrior, no doubt, but his skin had grown sickly pale.

He had to be someone of great importance to receive the care he was. She could smell the herbs that covered his scarred chest, no doubt trying to help his breathing. If he were a common soldier, they probably would not use all the essential and hard to find herbs when it was clear he was dying.

Noticing the painful expression on his fact, Kagome laid her hand on his head in a comforting manner. "Do not worry, all the pain will be over shortly." she gently whispered to him. Closing her eyes, and placing her hands on his chest, she called forth her healing powers. She could felt the violent poison coursing through the man's blood, tainting and destroying his body. Her hands glowed a light pink as she started to purify the toxic from the man's body.

If she had not woken up when she did, she was sure the man would have died. His internal organs were already starting to shut down. It took several minutes before she was positive she had removed the poison completely. His fever had broken and he appeared to be sleeping off the effects the poison caused his weary body. He should be all right, now that the poison was gone, but would need to take it easy.

Kagome quietly moved back to the bed she had been resting on. She could tell by how dark it was that it was well into the night. If she wanted to be awake when the others were, she would need to return to the land of dreams. Once again, her blue eyes closed as she fell back into her peaceful slumber.

Terms:

Hanyou - half demon and half human.

Miko – Priestess

Words from the author:

Hey, sorry it has taken me SO long to update. I suddenly became swamped with school and when that died down, I lost interest in finishing it. However, I recently found the story saved on my hard drive and decided to revise and finish it.


	2. A King's Recovery

Gaius slowly started to come too, hearing a moan and his name being called out. Light filtered in from the window, alerting him to the fact that he had fallen asleep. He quickly turned around to check on the king. He could have sword he heard someone call his name.

"Gaius…" The raspy sounding moan once again echoed throughout the room. Suddenly realizing who was calling him, Gaius rushed over to the king's side. Light green eyes tried opening only to shut again once the light his them, groaning at the pain the little bit of light caused.

"Your Majesty!" Gaius exclaimed softly, still in shock at what he was seeing. The king's breathing had returned to normal and sweat no longer trickled down his face. In fact, the king looked fairly health. The only sign of the poisoning was the weariness and slight pain that showed in his face.

"Where…..am…..I? ...What…happened?" the king asked. The last thing he remembered was a letter addressed to him from an old friend that died years ago. The moment he touched the letter he suddenly felt nauseated and weak.

"You are at my place, sire. You were poisoned last night." Gaius explained to the king. "We had feared the worst."

The king once gain tried to speak up. "Poi...son...ed?" his voice was dry and raspy due to the lack of water.

"Yes, sire." Gaius told him. "Here drink this. It should help your throat." Gaius gently lifted the king's head and put the small water dipper up to his mouth. Gaius could not explain what happened. The king should be dead or on the verge of it.

Noticing the king had stopped drinking and had fallen back into darkness, he decided to tell everyone the news. Resting the king's head on the pillow once again, he stood up and made his way out the door. Just outside, two guards stood by the door. Arthur or Merlin must have asked them to stand guard. "Make sure no one is to enter this room until I get back."

The only response he received from the guards was a slight nod. It was not hard to locate the blonde prince, for his shouting could be heard throughout the castle.

* * *

"What do you mean you found no trace of the murderer?" Arthur yelled. "One does not simply disappear! Someone had to of overheard something!" They had been searching throughout the entire night and still were no closer to identify the killer than they were hours ago.

"Arthur, calm down." Merlin pleaded with his friend. He was exhausted and was now sporting a big headache. He understood Arthur's desperation, but they needed to face the fact that there was nothing to be found.

"Calm down! My father is dying Merlin!" Arthur shouted at him. The entire night he had been on edge. Someone had managed to poison the king and left no trace. The thought sent chills of worry down his spine and if new got out that the king of Camelot had perished, other kingdoms would see it as a sign to attack. They had to find the killer and make sure no word of this got out.

Merlin was about to talk, when the doors to the throne room opened up to reveal the weary old physician. Everyone in the room stood, awaiting the news of the king's death.

"My father….. has he…" Arthur asked softly all anger gone from his voice. However, his body remained tense. Morgana and Gwen slowly made their way into the room, towards the prince and Merlin. They had awoken to shouting and decided to check it out, only to watch as Gaius entered the throne room containing the distraught prince.

"Your father is alive and has surprisingly made a full recovery." Gaius told them with a weak smile on his face. "It seems like the fates decided not to take him yet."

Arthur's eyes got big, before he rushed out of the room wanting to see for his self that his father was indeed alive and well. Gaius and Merlin looked at each other for a moment before following after the prince, leaving only Gwen and Morgana.

"This is great news!" Gwen exclaimed tears of joy filling her eyes. "Hurry, we must catch up with them." Tossing her friend a smile, she too rushed out of the room. No one noticed the dark look that crossed Morgana's face at hearing the fate of the king.

* * *

Arthur quickly tossed the door open to the medical room and rushed to his father's bedside. It was as Gaius had said; he seemed to be all right now. The color had returned to his face and there were no traces of pain.

A small groan caused Arthur's heart to jump. Slowly his father's eyes opened once again causing any doubt that lingered to vanish. "Father." Arthur whispered softly.

"Arthur." The king slightly smiled as he looked at his son. While the two of them may not always see eye to eye, they were very close and love each other very much.

"Welcome back father. How do you feel?" Arthur was relieved to hear his father's voice again. He had honestly thought that the next time he saw his father it would be at his funeral.

"Achy and this bed is not helping. Be a good boy and help your father to his room." Uther tried to sit up, only to be stopped by his son. Gaius, Merlin, Gwen had been watching the interaction from the doorway, not wanting to interrupt the moment.

"Gaius, is it safe to move my father?" Arthur asked. He did not want to take any risks while his father was still weak.

"He should be fine, but I want someone to watch over him in the case that something occurs." Gaius replied stepping fully into the room and towards the two men.

Gwen came up next to Gaius. She had never seen Arthur so distraught and it had broken her heart. She would do anything she could to prevent him from becoming like that again. "I can watch over him."

"Well then, I see no reason why he cannot be moved into his room." Gaius motioned to the two guards to help Arthur relocate the king. "I will be checking up on you throughout the day, so do not overexert yourself."

"I will be fine, Gaius. There is no need to keep watch over me." Uther told him with a slight whine to his voice.

"None the less, sire. I still feel like it is necessary until you have regained your strength."

Arthur started to help his father up, slinging his father's arm around his shoulders and his arm around his waist. Slowly the two made their way to the door, followed by Gwen and the soldiers. The moment Gaius was assured they were far enough away he shut the door and turned towards the young warlock.

"Please tell me you did not use the power of life and death to say Uther." Gaius asked firmly. He had been trying to wrap his mind around the possible cures that could have saved the king. The power of life and death is the only way he could explain the king's miraculous recovery and Merlin was the only wizard powerful enough to use its power.

"What? No! Why would I do that?" Merlin asked shocked that Gaius would think he would use that magic. It required a sacrifice and he could never sacrifice the life of an innocent.

"You mean you did not do anything to save Uther's life." Gaius was hesitant to ask. If Merlin did not save the king, then what did?

"Me, I thought you did." Merlin told him. He had been just as surprised as everyone else had when Gaius announced the new of the king's recovery. The old physician was never wrong when it came to diagnoses and if he said, it could not be cured than he figured it could not be cured.

"I do not hold the power to cure this." He said. "If you nor I cured him, then who did?"

Kagome had heard all the commotion going on in the room. It was hard to sleep with all that armor clanking around. She heard quite a lot and the moment the man beside her whispered the name Arthur she was on high alert. The only king Arthur she knew about was king Arthur of Camelot, which meant she was somewhere in 6th century England.

After the commotion died down, she slowly opened her eyes. It appears that the two men remaining in the room were too focused on the king's recovery to notice her. She could finally see all the herbs she smelled the night before. He had many different herb and remedies it was rather impressive.

Deciding to make her presence known, she interrupted the two bickering men. "You have quite the collection of medicinal herbs." The two quickly turned toward the melodious voice, finally noticing the young woman that Merlin had found the day before.

She turned away from the herb cabinet and smiled at the two men before her. "Good Morning."

"G…G..Good Morning" Merlin managed to reply. He had not even noticed she had moved. She had to be extremely graceful to walk without making a sound.

Gaius shook himself out of his stupor. How could he have been so foolish as to talk about magic without making sure she was unconscious? She now knew both Merlin and himself could wield magic.

Kagome noticed the worry laced in the old man's aura. Midoriko had told her magic was forbidden in this land and anyone found using magic was punished with death. "Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me." She said with a reassuring smile on her face.

"May I ask your name, young lady?" Gaius asked feeling a bit relieved at her reassurance. He did not need the guilt of Merlin's death on his head, not that he would have survived if the king found out either.

"I am Kagome." Kagome told them while looking at all the books aligned the shelf. They all were on herbs and medicine. 'I wonder if I could borrow a few of these.' Kagome thought to herself.

"Might I ask where you came from?" Gaius asked not wanting to scare the woman or cause her to remember something horrible.

"That is hard to answer." Kagome said looking up from a book she had opened to ponder the question. "You could say I am from far away."

"You are not giving very clear answers." Merlin grumbled.

Slamming the book shut, she quickly turned around. "Why should I answer you when you have not even introduced yourselves?" Kagome's eyes narrowed in irritation. She had hoped that men in this time would have some manners, but so far, she was not impressed.

"Forgive my student. I am Gaius and this idiot is Merlin." Gaius introduced. When Merlin lacked sleep he became snippy and grumpy, an attitude that seemed to upset the woman.

Kagome's eyes grew big as she focused her attention of the dark haired man. He was quite handsome in a sweet kind of way. He had dark hair, blue eyes, and was a good ten inches taller than she was. Despite what people may say, he was also quite muscular and tone. "Merlin…As in the great wizard Merlin?"

Merlin body grew tense. "Why do you say I am a great wizard?"

Kagome threw him another annoyed look. "I have only heard of one Merlin that knew and Arthur and he was a great sorcerer. Also your aura screams, "I have powerful magic.""

"Aura?" Gaius and Merlin asked simultaneously. They had never heard the word before and had no idea what it was.

"Yeah, everyone has an aura that surrounds their body. Everyone's aura is different and slight changes occur when sick, wounded, or what emotions the person is feeling. If the person carries power it can be felt through the aura. Unless, of course, you know how to bind your powers, then it becomes undetectable." Kagome told them.

"And you can feel Merlin's aura?" Gaius asked the young girl unsurely.

"Yes, I can feel everyone's auras." Kagome replied. "You could say it is one of the many gifts I have."

Gaius stared at the young woman, trying to process all she had said. She talked about gifts, does that mean she was a sorcerous, or some kind of mythical creature.

Kagome could tell they were slowly processing what she had told them and decided to resume her study of the room. Walking over to the small workbench, she smelled the many different bottles. They contained the same smell that was on the king. "This is what you had rubbed on the king. Is it an antidote? If so, it did not work very well."

"It was something to help him breath, unfortunately there is no…."Gaius stopped mid-sentence, his eyes growing wide. She knew the king was sick and what herbs that he had put on him. She also knew that the medicine did nothing to cure his illness. "You… were you responsible for the king's recovery."

Merlin's head wiped around to look at Gaius. Surprise and astonishment oozed out of every pore. It was written in his face, his body language, and his voice. "How could she heal an incurable poison?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kagome asked sharply before turning to smile at the shocked man. "Yes, I was the one who healed the king."

"You're a sorceress! You used the power of life and death!" Merlin exclaimed. He prayed for whatever innocent soul she used as a sacrifice.

"Power of life and death?" Kagome asked. Midoriko never taught her about that, nor how to harness that power. However, she could tell it was something bad when the young man's aura flared with anger and sorrow.

"It is the power to restore or create life." Gaius explained sadly. "But it comes with a cost. In order to use the power a life must be taken in its place."

Kagome gasped in surprise and horror. They thought she sacrificed someone! "That's horrible! I could never sacrifice the life of an innocent!"

"Then how could you have cured him?" Merlin asked his tone laced with underlying anger.

"I healed him." Her words did not seem to comfort the two men so she tried to think of another way to explain it. "I purified the toxins out of the body with my powers."

"Purified?" Gaius asked. He could tell she was a good person and would never harm someone intentionally. She actually reminded him a lot of Merlin. However, there was a chance she was unaware of the consequences to the spell she cast.

"Yes, purified." Kagome stated. Sighing Kagome decided to show them. Picking up one of the swords leaning against the wall, she pressed her palm to it, drawing blood.

Gaius and Merlin watched as the young woman showed them her bleeding palm. Gaius was about to grab his kit, knowing a wound like that would require stitches. However, before he could move her hand started to glow a soft pink. Before their eyes, the wound stitched itself back together. The only trace of the wound was the blood still on her hands.

"What are you?" Merlin asked. A smile made its way onto his face, the excitement at finding another powerful magic user wiped away any anger or drowsiness.


	3. Meeting a Prince

"I am a priestess." She told them trying to hide her smile at the young man's excitement. She was not prepared for the reaction of the elder man at her words though.

"A priestess?!" Gaius exclaimed putting one hand on his forehead in shock. He had only heard of a few priestesses, they were beings blessed by the gods of the old religion. They did not age, nor did they become sick. The last priestess he encountered was Nimueh. "As in one of the high priestesses of the old religion? One who serves the three goddesses and leads over fellow sorcerers?"

"Kind of, but I only serve one goddess. And I don't rule over anyone." Kagome answered.

"How did you do that? Heal your hand, I mean." Merlin asked unable to contain his excitement. He had never witnessed power like that. It sent shivers down his back, and yet calmed him as the same time.

"It is one of my gifts as a priestess. I can heal, purify, create shields, and use my powers as a weapon." Kagome told him with a smile. Now that he was not grumpy, he actually was somewhat cute. "I can also manipulate the element and preform spells, much like you."

"Did you hear that, Gaius!? She is like me!" This was the best news ever! The only other sorcerer around him was Gaius and Morgana, and neither one of them came close to having as much power as he did.

"Yes, I heard. Might I ask what you are doing so far from home?" Gaius asked he knew by her accent that this was not her native language. "I can tell you are not from around here."

Kagome nodded. These people seemed nice enough and she would need people she could rely on while she was here. "I was told that I had another destiny to fulfill. That my gifts would be needed to save a kingdom."

"Me too!" Merlin shouted, startling both Gaius and Kagome at his sudden outbreak. "The great dragon said I had to protect Arthur and save Camelot!" Finally, he was not alone in his quest. He had another magic using companion. It was a good thing too. Morgana had been acting strangely and already showed a disliking to him since her return.

"Then it appears as though we will be working together, Merlin-san!" Kagome smiled bowed slightly. Maybe Midoriko was right, maybe she would make new friends here.

"Well if you are going to be staying here, my dear, perhaps we ought to find you some more suitable clothes." Gaius said with a kind smile, taking in her odd outfit covered in dirt and leaves.

Blushing, Kagome looked down at her clothes before nodding. "Yes, I do believe you are right." Glancing around she added, "I don't suppose you have any extra clothing?"

"Unfortunately, I do not." Gaius replied. "Merlin, why don't you see if Gwen has any old clothes she could spare."

Merlin seem to pay any attention to him, instead was staring at the young woman with a grin on his face. Apparently, she noticed it because a small blush made its way onto her cheeks. "Merlin!" Gaius shouted startling the boy out of his stupor. "Go see if Gwen has any spare clothes!"

"Ah.. Right…Sorry." Merlin said snapping out of his trance, before running out of the room, lest he do anything more embarrassing.

"Do not worry about him. He sometimes gets too caught up in his thoughts." Gaius said after Merlin had left. The blush on the girls cheeks were slowly starting to fade away.

"It's alright. I can be like that too."

* * *

Merlin walked at a leisurely pace, his mind returning to the young woman he had just left with Gaius. He had never met a girl, no woman like her. She seemed so innocent and she radiated a sense of peace and comfort. He felt sorry for accusing her of sacrificing an innocent life, perhaps he should apologize.

Merlin stopped before the door to the king's chambers. Knocking lightly, he waited for the door to open or for the word to enter. He made out the sound of footsteps approaching the door before it opened to reveal the exact person he was looking for.

"Merlin. What is it? The Arthur and the king are sleeping." Gwen whispered softly, trying not to disturb the two slumbering within the room.

"I needed to… wait... Arthur's sleeping?" Merlin asked, poking his head into the room to see the prince. There at the side of the bed, Arthur was completely sound asleep, even snoring slightly. All of the drama, emotions, and excitement must have finally taken its toll on the boy.

"Yes, sleeping. Now what is it that your needed?" She asked him again, pushing him out of the doorway before following suit, shutting the door behind her. Neither one of the royal family members needed to be waking up at the moment.

"Ahh.. right. I need to borrow some clothes." Merlin said scratching the back of his head and smiling.

Gwen had to stifle a laugh. "My clothes? Why on Earth would you need my clothes?" The idea of Merlin dressed as a girl entered her head, causing a giggle to escape her mouth.

"Wait..What?...No, not for me." Merlin quickly replied trying to hide his blush. If Arthur had been awake to hear that, he never would be able to live it down. "I found a girl in the forest yesterday. She woke up and is in need of new clothes."

"Ok, Merlin." Gwen said enjoying the flustered appearance of her friend. She can see why Arthur likes teasing him so much. "I believe I have an old dress she could have."

Gwen motioned one of the other servants over. "I need to run out. Watch the king and if any should happen, find the court physician." The maid nodded and quietly entered the room. Gwen turned back towards Merlin. "Follow me."

Morgana watched from the window as Gwen and Merlin exited the castle. She did nothing to hide her dark glare. How could this have happened? Morgause had assured her that the poison was incurable. Yet, she had seen the king himself, talking to Arthur when they entered the king's bedchambers. She would need to talk to her sister as soon as nightfall set, but first she would need to find out how he managed to survive.

* * *

"It's a good thing we are close to the same size." Gwen called out to the slightly shorter woman behind the screen. "When Merlin had asked to borrow my spare clothes, I was worried that they would not fit."

Gwen had forgotten to ask how tall the girl was. She was only 5'3" and if the girl were closer to Morgana's 5'6" form the outfit would not have fit.

"It's slightly big, but not enough to cause any issues." Kagome said as she stepped out from behind the screen. The dress was a simple navy blue dress with a white under top. The sleeves were a little long and the dress trailed a bit on the floor, but other than that, it fit. The corset allowed her to adjust the size in the midsection and Kagome's slightly larger chest meant that the neckline did not fall to low.

"Kagome, you look stunning." Gwen said with a smile on her face. The blue brought out the blue in her eyes and the gown looked amazing on her, despite the slightly longer sleeves and train. Her long black hair also popped against the white of the dress and Kagome's own pale skin.

"You really think so?" Kagome asked swooshing the dress around. It had been a while since she wore a dress and never had she worn one like this. She felt like a medieval princess.

"Absolutely." Gwen could tell that Kagome was not used to compliments. It made her wonder what kind of people she used to hang around. "Do you not think so too, Merlin?" Gwen asked the very quiet man.

He stood there for a few moment his mouth wide open, before finally registering Gwen's question. "Yes, you…you look very beautiful." He stuttered out a blush once again finding a home on his face.

"Thanks you two!" Kagome smiled at the two of them. She knew from the moment Gwen walked into the room that they would become good friends. Much like herself, Gwen had a selfless heart.

"Gwen, I was wondering if it would be too intrusive to ask if Kagome could stay with you." Gaius asked the young servant girl. "I only have one spare room and Merlin is currently occupying it."

"Oh! Of course she can." Gwen replied turning to Kagome with smile.

"Are you sure? I do not want to intrude." Kagome asked. She had not thought about where she was going to stay, but did not want to be a burden on her newly made friend.

"You won't be intruding. We have an extra room. My brother is never home and ever since my father passed away, the house has been lonely. I would enjoy company." Gwen said. Her heart still broke when thinking about her father. She had not touched his room since his death. Perhaps now was the right time to go through his things and clean out the room.

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice called out. Soon enough he came charging through the door, obviously irritated that he had been unable to find Merlin.

"Yes, Arthur." Merlin asked slightly smiling. "Is there something you need?"

Arthur looked towards Merlin, suddenly realizing he had an audience. "Ahhum… yes. My..armor..needs polishing." He managed to make out, taking in the slightly smiling faces. "Pardon my intrusion."

"So, this is Prince Arthur." Kagome asked she stepped forward to have a good look at him. "He isn't exactly what I imagined."

Arthur looked puzzled. Who was this female? She seemed to know of him, but what had she heard that did not line up to his image. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Kagome brought her finger up to rest on her chin in thought. "Well, I suppose I pictured a heroic gentleman, who was calm natured and had a generous attitude towards people in all walks of life."

All Arthur could do was stutter in amazement. She held no regard to his royal status and practically insulted him. "I am heroic and a gentleman." He managed to huff out in retaliation.

"Hmmm….Seems to me you are nothing but a spoiled brat who likes to pick on those he deems weaker than him." Kagome said in thought. Merlin could not contain his laughter and it seemed neither could Gaius or Gwen.

"Who are you to insult me such, woman?" Arthur demanded no longer liking how this conversation was going. Instead of looking at him in fear or immediately apologizing as he expected her too, she flashed him an angry look.

"My name is Kagome. Use it." Kagome was sick and tired of being called anything other than her name. She was not about to receive any new nicknames and certainly not from a man who obviously had a big ego.

Ok, so, her answer was not exactly what he was looking for, but at least he knew the name of the woman insulting him. "Kagome then… What gives you the right to insult me, the prince of Camelot?" Arthur asked, reducing the irritation in his voice. Normally nothing scared him, but the look in that woman's eyes promised pain.

"To insult you would have had to say something disrespectful or rude. I was merely stating my thoughts. Where you not the one who asked what I meant?" Kagome asked him.

"She has a point Arthur. You did want to know what she meant." Merlin said behind a grin. This was too funny. Arthur was being put in his place and by a small female too. The best of it was she knew exactly how to comeback to make Arthur look even more foolish.

"Shut up, Merlin. Don't you have some armor to polish?" Arthur said, irritated. If he could not take his anger out on the woman, he would simply take it out on Merlin. Decided he was humiliated enough, he quickly excused himself, pulling the more reluctant Merlin behind him.

"Please excuse me as well, ladies. I have some medicine to deliver and I must check on the king." Gaius said bowing slightly to the two young women. He could tell things were going to get far more interesting around here.

"He really is not all that bad. He may act like a spoiled brat most of the time, but when it comes down to it, Arthur would sacrifice everything for his people." Gwen explained. Arthur often did not make a good first impression, especially to the common folk. She herself had thought of Arthur as just another spoiled princeling who cared only for himself.

"I know." Kagome said smiling at the door the two younger men went through. "He has a good heart."

Gwen nodded in agreement. "Then why say all that?"

"Because he will never change into the man he is destined to be if he does not notice his faults" Kagome told her before tossing her a sly smile. "That and it was so easy to rile him up."

That managed to make Gwen laugh. "You are right. I hardly ever get to see Arthur that riled up. Merlin teases him every day about his faults, but Arthur normally throws something at him and doesn't ever get riled up enough to stomp out of the room".

"You love him, don't you?" Kagome asked noticing the look on her face, the same look she used to give Inuyasha.

"What?!...No….He is a prince and I am just a servant girl." Gwen replied, trying to be as convincing as possible.

"It is ok. I won't tell anyone." Kagome placed a hand on Gwen's shoulders in hopes of reassuring her. "Beside I believe that you two are destined to be together."

* * *

Evening soon fell onto the castle and every servant was scurrying to get ready for dinner. Uther had decided that he wanted to celebrate his survival with a feast. Kagome thought it was because now that the poison was out of his system he was starving for food.

"I will introduce you to Morgana." Gwen told her. She was so excited to have another female around. Morgana had not been as talkative lately and often seemed to want her gone and none of the other servants spoke to her much.

Gwen led her along a hallway on the east side of the castle. She stopped alongside a door, knocking gently. "Come in." A voice echoed within the room.

The two girls made their way into the huge room. Sitting by the window was a beautiful woman. She had long brown hair and clear green eyes. "Morgana, I would like to introduce you to one of the new servants in the castle. She will be aiding Gaius." Gwen told the older female.

"Ah.. I heard there was someone new in the palace." Morgana turned as gave them a fake smile.

"Yes, this is Kagome. Merlin found her in the forest and brought her here last night." Morgana's smile faltered for a bit. If this girl knew Merlin, then she might know that she was able to use magic.

Morgana put back on her fake friendly face before addressing the small Asian woman. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kagome."

Kagome nodded to the woman. Her aura screamed hatred, resentment, turmoil, and power. "Pleasure."

"Uther wanted me to remind you that there is to be a feast tonight." Gwen replied setting down the linens she had carried into the room. Anger spiked in Morgana's aura, but her face remained friendly.

"Gwen, would you please tell the king that I am feeling unwell." Morgana pleaded. "I am afraid all this excitement has worn me out."

"Oh..of course. Would you like me to help you change?" Gwen asked.

"No need. You should go on home." Morgana said giving Gwen a slight smile. Ever since she had seen that vision of Gwen becoming queen of Camelot, she just could not stand being around her.

Gwen nodded and bowed before making her way out of the room. Kagome, however, waited until the curly haired brunette left. She needed to have a word with the young sorceress.

"You shouldn't let your anger consume you." Kagome knew she had caught the woman's attention even if she could not see. "Hated never leads to anything good, it only consume you."

Turning around to face the now glaring woman, Kagome gave her a small sad smile. "It will become your demise." With that said, Kagome left the room, leaving the witch to her thoughts.

Morgana did not know who that girl thought she was. That woman had no idea what she was dealing with, all the betrayal and pain. No, this was not good. There was no doubt that this Kagome knew more than she let on.

Standing up, Morgana opened her wardrobe clothes and pulled out her cloak. She needed to speak with her sister.

Morgana snuck silently out of the castle and into the woods, towards the cave she knew her sister was currently dwelling. The night was cold and the full moon shined brightly in the sky, illuminating the forest.

"Morgause." Morgana whispered into the forest. "Morgause."

"What troubles you, my dear sister?" Morgause asked stepping into the clearing. Her blonde hair glowed in the moonlight, but instead of appearing beautiful in made her look sinister when paired with the dark look on her face. However, her face scrunched up in worry, noticing the panic in her sister's face. "Has the king been poisoned?"

"He has." Morgana told her sister, trying to calm her nerves and anger. She needed to be able to think clearly in order to help plan their next move.

"Then what is the problem, dear sister?" Morgause reached over to touch her sister's tense arm. If the king had been poisoned then everything had gone according to plan. With the king removed, they just had to focus on removing Arthur and his annoying manservant.

"They found a way to cure the poison." Morgana told her. Her anger bubbled towards the surface at the thought that the king was still breathing.

"That is impossible." Morgause looked at her sister. Her face creased as she thought about what her sister was saying. She had specifically chosen wolf's bane because it did not have a cure. The only way to have restored his life was through the power of life and death and Morgana would know if the cup resided in the palace.

"Not impossible it seems. I have seen him walking and talking with my own eyes." Morgana seethed remembering when they had announced word that the king survived. When she had seen him, he had smiled at her, telling her not to worry that he was perfectly healthy. She wanted to choke him with her magic. It took all her willpower to smile at him and tell him how happy she was he recovered.

"That is not all, sister. Merlin brought back a woman from the forest." Morgana told her.

"Why do you care who Merlin brings back?" Morgause asked. Something was telling her that this woman was the cause of her sister's panic.

"She knew I have hatred for the king. I fear Merlin has told her about us." Morgana told her sister. This, Kagome, was not someone she had foreseen and she saw through her loving façade.

Morgause looked thoughtful for a moment. They would need to speed things up if their plans had any chance of succeeding. Merlin had already proved to be difficult to get rid of and to add another nuisance would only cause more trouble. "Keep an eye on her. I will talk to Cenred about our invasion plans. We need to move fast and quietly."


	4. The Cup of Life

"Merlin!" Kagome had to cover her mouth to try to hold back her laugh. However, the sight before her proved too difficult and she was unable to keep back her giggles. "What on Earth happened to you?"

"It's not funny, Kagome!" Merlin was completely covered in mud, with different plant leaves and twigs sticking out of the muck. Arthur had decided to do something incredible stupid again and in the process of saving the clueless prince, Merlin fell into a mud pit. "Stupid Arthur." Merlin mumbled underneath his breath.

Kagome smiled at the young man. It had been several months since she arrived and between Merlin, Gwen, and Arthur her days were anything but boring. "Well, why don't you get cleaned up?" Kagome watched as Merlin made his way up to his bedroom. Arthur ran the poor boy ragged. She was grateful she had alleviated some of his burdens by becoming Gaius's assistant, running all the errands Merlin used to do for the old man.

Kagome had just finished mixing some tonics and storing them in the cabinet, when Merlin emerged from his room with a new set of clothes on and cleaned of all the mud.

"Ouch." Merlin mumbled walking down the stairs. Apparently, he must have cut himself on a branch when he fell into the mud pit. He had a huge bloody gash up his forearm, making him wonder why he did not feel it in the first place.

Hearing Merlin's pain and seeing him wince in discomfort, Kagome made her way over to him. "You're injured."

"Yeah, must have happened when I fell." Merlin said watching her examine his arm. She held her hand over the wound and it started to glow a light pink. His wound started to stitch itself back together, until it was completely gone. It never ceased to amaze him, her gifts and her power. He was starting to feel like she had more power than even he possessed.

"All better!" Kagome smile up at him after inspecting the now healed wound. Ever since she arrived, his days seemed to be even brighter than before. He loved seeing her smiles, watching her laugh with Gwen, and seeing the intense concentration on her face when she helped Gaius. She really was an amazing woman.

Kagome noticed he had not stopped staring at her. It made her blush, being the center of attention to the man in front of her. The last few weeks she had grown close to him, watching as he sacrificed everything for the people he loved. Not only did he risk his life to protect Arthur, but Gwen as well. It seemed he knew, just as she did, that those two were destined to be together.

"Am I intruding?" Gaius said from his position by the door. He had been watching the two powerful magic users and could not help but notice the strong attraction they had towards one another. If only they would see it themselves.

"Ahh…no…." Merlin stuttered, snapping out of his daze and breaking eye contact with Kagome to focus on the floor. "I should go…..find Arthur!" He quickly scurried out of the room, trying desperately to hide the blush covering his face.

"Gaius." Kagome finally said, addressing the older man. She too had a slight blush on her cheek, but was able to hide most of her embarrassment at being caught staring into Merlin's face.

Gaius just chuckled. Life had definitely become more interesting since Kagome's arrival. Kagome often fought with Arthur, the two very much resembling arguing siblings and now Merlin's face was usually covered in a blush. The only one who seemed to be not making fools out of themselves is Gwen, whose behavior was relatively normal, except for the fact that she appeared to be happier in the presence of the priestess.

Walking over to his workbench, Gaius noticed several new herbs and tonics, accompanied by sheets of parchments in a foreign language. Kagome was the only one other than himself who knew how to create tonics and the writing was similar to what language the young woman often wrote in.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Gaius asked her motioning his head towards her creations on the workbench. A concerned and grim look crossed Kagome's face as she glanced at something she had been working on earlier that day.

"I fear that something bad is about to happen." Kagome explained. "The castle has been darker, as of late." She could feel the dark energy surrounding the castle and knew it was originating from the dark witch. Her aura recently change to uncontrolled excitement, which made Kagome fear that she was up to something and whatever it was, it was coming soon.

* * *

"You girls could help me out, you know?" Merlin called out from within the stables to the two giggling women. Arthur had left the castle a little over an hour ago and had yet to return. Before he left he ordered Merlin to be useful while he was gone and told him to muck out the stables.

"And get our dresses dirty! Surely you jest, Merlin." Kagome said teasing the young warlock. Gaius had insisted she rest for the day, no doubt feeling her anxiety on a certain level. She could not help it, the castle too quiet lately. Experience taught her that when things are to quiet it means danger lurks ahead. 'The calm before the storm.' Kagome thought.

"It is not our fault you fell behind in your chores, Merlin." Gwen said teasing her friend as well. Morgana had dismissed her for the day, which was unusual. Then again, Morgana had been acting strange so she really was not surprised. She only hoped that whatever issues her lady was facing would be resolved and the Morgana she knew and loved would return.

"It's not my fault!" Merlin cried out. He walked out of the stables, covered in manure, with a huge pout on his face. His forearm resting on the pitchfork, he looked at the two women sitting on the castle steps. "Arthur has had me doing far more than he usually does."

"Oh, poor baby." Kagome teasingly cooed, noticing the adorable pout on the man's face. "Are you having a hard time keeping up with Arthur?"

"No! It is just that all he does is having me run all these errands for him. I hardly have time to sleep!" Merlin complained as he rested the pitchfork against the stable wall.

"Merlin's right. Arthur has been rather busy. He has not even come out to practice like he usually does." Gwen replied softly. She had been worrying herself in regards to the prince. Arthur's normally playful demure had become serious and focused in the last few days. She was glad that she was not the only one who noticed it.

"I am sure he is just worried about Camelot, as we all are, I am sure he will be back to his normal self in no time." Kagome said trying to cheer up her two friends. She did not want to worry either of them even further with her own worries. "Speak of the devil, here he comes." Kagome smiled noticing Arthur riding up.

However, her smile soon vanished taking in the concerned and defeated look on Arthur's face. She was not the only one who noticed it too. "Is everything ok?" Gwen asked in concern. Arthur hardly ever looked defeated and with his recently odd behavior, she knew something had happened.

"Merlin, get cleaned up and meet me in the throne room." Arthur said while dismounting his horse. "And Kagome would you please tell Gaius he is needed there as well."

Kagome merely nodded watching the solemn Arthur put his horse away. Something terrible has happened. She could feel Arthur's sadness and anger. "Gwen will you accompany me?" Kagome asked her friend.

She knew that Arthur would not want Gwen to overhear whatever it was he had to say, probably seeing it as a man's business. Normally that would irk her, the idea that something was strictly a "man's business", but she had grown to know the castle like the back of her hand and knew of a spot she could eavesdrop from. Whatever had happened she wanted to know about it. She had a feeling that whatever peace they managed to hold in their lives was about to be destroyed.

* * *

"Kagome are you sure we should be doing this?" Gwen said as Kagome led her to the small balcony that overlooked the throne room. While she was curious as to what the men were discussing she did not think it wise to eavesdrop.

"Look, if we want to know what is going on, then we have to listen." Kagome whispered. She was starting to think that Gwen was trying to get her caught. The girl, while normally a soft speaker, did nothing to speak even softer. They had entered a room full of knights and would need to be completely silent.

Glancing down below she noticed several knights and male servant were also attending. The only person she did not expect to be there was Morgana. She probably used the king's adoration of her to convince him to allow her to sit in and listen.

Arthur stood before his father and handed him a torn and bloody knight cape. The entire room was tense and only became tenser when seeing what Arthur had been carrying.

"It was Cenred who did this, you're certain of it?" Uther's voice echoed throughout the room as he reached out and grabbed the cape bearing the seal of Camelot.

"Yes, My Lord." Arthur replied calmly. "His messenger has only this minute departed Camelot. Cenred said that the patrol trespassed on his land and an example had to be made."

'Cenred again?' Kagome was getting tired of this man. Surely, he realized that Morgause was only using his infatuation with her to her own advantage. The moment he loses his useful, was the moment his life was forfeit.

"How many dead?" Uther asked.

"All of them, Sire. Every last man." Arthur told him, the idea that a man butchered an entire patrol, simply because he believed that they had to be taught a lesson was excessive and saddening that so many lives were lost. However, at the moment he could not do anything about it.

"The knights?" Uther was trying to figure out what to do. Knights were noble born and to lose them would be a great lose to the ruling of Camelot.

"All lost. Edric, Oldof, Osric," Arthur paused, not really wanting to believe the person whose name he was about to list was truly dead. "And Sir Leon."

"What were they doing out that far?" Uther asked. Normally the patrols stuck to the borders. They knew better than to enter Cenred's territory, especially Sir Leon.

"I do not know, my lord"

"Find out, at once." Uther said before leaving the room. The doors echoed when he shut them with a bit more force than required.

"Can we leave now, Kagome?" Gwen asked. She did not want to be up here any longer and now that the king has left, it would only be a matter of time before the guards returned to their patrols.

Kagome nodded. Cenred made a bold move by killing everyone in the patrol, a move that could possibly lead to a war. He had to have something up his sleeve if he thought he could get away with the murder of Camelot's knights.

* * *

Gwen and Kagome sat in Gaius's workroom. Kagome knew the news that Sir Leon was dead had affected the older girl. She did not know him as well as the other, but she could tell he had a kind and compassionate soul. He was one of the few knights that did not condemn magic. His death would be a severe blow to Camelot.

"I cannot believe he is gone." Gwen said solemnly. "It seems like more and more of our friends are either dying or being injured." She was scared something was going to happen to her friends, specifically Arthur. It appeared as though there was a power out to destroy their lives.

"I know how hard this must be." Kagome said wrapping her arms around the other girl's shoulders. "He was a great man."

The door opened to the medical room and in stepped Gaius, looking worried, far more worried than he did when she had seen him in the throne room. He started rummaging through tonics, completely ignoring the two females in the room.

"What is going on? Is everything alright?" Kagome asked the older man. Leaving the side of the young woman has to approach the elderly man.

Turning around, Gaius finally noticed the two women in the room. His mind was too busy thinking about the conversation he just had with the king. "Oh, yes." He replied just as Merlin walked into the room.

"Gwen, dear, it appears Sir Leon had survived his encounter with Cenred, but is in need of some tonics. Would you be a dear and bring these to him?" Gaius asked the young woman. He needed to talk to Merlin, and with Kagome for that matter, about what had occurred.

Gwen's eyes lit up at the news that the knight had returned safely. Quickly nodding, she stood up and retrieved the tonics, making note of Gaius's instructions, before scurrying out the door.

"How can it be the Cup of life?" Merlin asked with a tense jaw. The three magic users were sitting at the table. Night had already set and most everyone has fallen asleep for the knight. Nevertheless, just to be sure they all spoke in hushed voices.

"What do you mean, Merlin?" Gaius asked. "You of all people know the power of the Cup."

"I thought the Cup was destroyed with Nimueh when I defeated her on the Isle of the Blessed." Merlin could not understand. The cup vanished after he used its power on Nimueh. How in the world did it end up in the hands of the druids?

"Ahh… hello… still in the room here." Kagome spoke up clearly confused as to what they were talking about. "What is the cup of life?" She wondered if it was something similar to the fountain of youth, or if it had to do with the cup that Christ drank from during the last supper.

Merlin and Gaius looked over to the confused girl. Merlin could not help but chuckle at her cute confused look, which earned him a glare from the beautiful woman.

"The Cup of Life is an ancient and magical cup that can restore life to the drinker. However, another life must be given in return." Gaius explained to her. "In essence, the Cup contains the power of life and death."

"The same power you accused me of using?" Kagome asked thoughtfully. That would explain why Gaius was so worried.

"Yes, however, only powerful sorcerers can use this magic without the use of the Cup of Life." Gaius told her. The only two people he knew that could perform the spell without the Cup was Merlin and Kagome.

"But the Cup was destroyed. Wasn't it?" Merlin asked.

"The Cup cannot be destroyed. It's magic is eternal, unbound by time or place." Gaius explained. Many had tried to destroy the cup, but unfortunately none had every succeeded. Several different weapons and spells have been tried. None left as much as a scratch.

Kagome stood there thinking. Indestructible might not be the best choice of words. The power resided inside cup that made it indestructible. If they could transfer the power into another vessel, the cup could be destroyed. They just needed a suitable vessel.

"But why does Uther fear it so much?" Merlin asked. Surely, the king knew that the cup could only restore life at the cost of another. It was not a very useful weapon.

"Because the Cup can be used for evil as well as good." Gaius whispered as if it was obvious.

Gaius knew more than her was letting on. What power could the cup have that those with evil intentions could exploit? "I don't understand."

"Many centuries ago, it fell into the possession of a great warlord. One night, he gathered his army before him. He took a drop of blood from each and every man and collected it in the Cup." Gaius told them pausing at the end of every sentence. "Such was the vessel's power that the soldiers were made immortal where they stood."

Understanding crossed Merlin's face. "So they could not be killed." He whispered.

Gaius nodded slightly. "The carnage they wrought was beyond all imagining. The King is no fool. He knows that the forces of the Old Religion are rising against him once more. Heaven forbid that the Cup should fall into the hands of Morgause."

"Morgana." Merlin whispered in worry. If either of those two got their hands on the Cup, who knows what destruction they could cause.

Gaius nodded again. "With Such a weapon at their disposal, Camelot would be all but lost."

"But how can we prevent them from obtaining the Cup. If we bring it back here, Morgana will have access to it. If we leave it with the druids, Morgause and Cenred could obtain it."

"Why not transfer the power into another vessel?" Kagome spoke up for the first time. She did not have any knowledge about the magical items in this land, but she did know about power in items.

"What do you mean?" Gaius asked. The young witch was wise beyond her years and would not have spoken up if she did not have a valid suggestion.

"Magical items are items that were infused with power. I once guarded such a weapon, the power could not be destroyed but its power could be transferred into another vessel." Kagome explained. "If we could transfer the power of the Cup into another vessel without anyone else knowing, then it wouldn't matter if they obtained the Cup for it won't have the power they seek."

Merlin looked over to Gaius with a bit of a stunned look. "Would that work?"

Gaius looked deep in thought. He had never heard of such a thing occurring. The magic was probably bonded with the cup or was infused within it. Even if there was a way to remove it, they had no idea how to go about it. "I am not sure. I would think the magic would be bound to the item that it is infused with."

* * *

Merlin was walking around his room packing for the "surprise trip" Arthur told him they were going on.

"You know he is going after the cup." Kagome said watching him from the doorway. They were about to embark on a dangerous journey into enemy lands. She knew that she would be unable to attend without causing a stir, but she had a bad feeling about being left behind.

"Yeah, I already figure that part." Merlin said glancing up at her briefly before continuing to pack. He wanted to bring his magic book, but if Arthur found it, his secret would be out.

Pulling his bag on his back, he turned to fact the small woman. She was leaning up against the doorframe with her arm hugging her frame like a comforting embrace, but it was the look on her face that caused his heart to stop. She had a very worried look on her face. "It will be alright. I will bring back both the cup and Arthur." He had hoped his smile would cheer her up, like it had in the past, but it did not appear to help her worries.

Standing up she walked over, only stopping a few feet away from him. Hesitantly, she pulled her arm from its position against her body and held out a piece of paper to him. It was a long, narrow piece of paper with strange writing on it.

"It's a talisman." Kagome explained as his took it from her hands. "It will give you some protection."

A wonderful feeling filled his body. She wrote this just for him, not for Arthur, but for him. "Thanks, Kagome." Even though he had the talisman, she still felt like something was going to go wrong and like always, she wore her heart on her sleeve.

"I think Arthur will need it more." Merlin joked. "He is the prince, I am just a nobody." He had hoped that if his smile did not help her fears, then maybe some humor might.

Kagome frowned. He was not just a nobody. He was the only one who understood her. Why could he not see how much me meant to her? "You are not a nobody." Merlin could not help the smile that crossed his face at her words.

"Merlin, are you done yet!?" Arthur's voice called out from somewhere in the castle.

Merlin glanced over Kagome's shoulder. "I will be there shortly!" Turing back to look at the woman he gave her another smile. "Well I better be going." Merlin moved to head out the door only to have Kagome grab his sleeve.

Kagome walked back to her position in front of Merlin. She pulled him down slightly before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Come back safely."

"Merlin!" Arthur shouts breaking Merlin out of his stupor. A blush made its way to his cheeks as he quickly bid her a quiet good bye before running out of the room towards the impatient prince.


	5. Darkness in Camelot

Kagome sighed for the thousandth time. Arthur and Merlin had been gone for several days. Her only comfort came in the form of Gwen, who was just as worried as she was. The two often waited up most the night hoping to hear word that they had made it back safely.

As she continued to stare out the window, she could not help but fear that something has happened. They should have been back by now. She knew they were still alive the talisman Merlin held would let her know if anything happened to him, but she knew there were worse fates than death sometimes.

She had another concern on her mind as well. She had been feeling Morgana's hateful glares. The woman was no longer hiding her hatred from her. She told her soon she would be gone from her sight, which meant she was planning something. She had tried following her one night, but lost her due to her fatigue.

"Kagome, what are you doing?" Gaius calmly asked her. He noticed that she had not moved from her spot by the window in several hours, without saying a single word. He had watched her over the past few days. Each day Merlin and Arthur were gone the worse her worrying got. It was starting to affect both Gwen and himself.

"Gaius." Kagome turned to acknowledge the man. She had not even felt him enter the room. Perhaps she had been thinking too hard. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"You should not worry so much." Gaius reassured her. "Merlin will be back, the boy has a knack for returning from dangerous quests."

"I know, Gaius. I just have a bad feeling and it has only worsened as the days go on." Kagome told him with a sad look on her face. "Perhaps I am over….." Kagome did not finish her sentence. Her head whipped around towards the direction of Cenred's kingdom and a look of complete worry crossed her face. Her entire body was tense as she started sensing the dark presence of something unnatural enter the forest surrounding Camelot.

"What is it Kagome?" Gaius was concerned. He had never seen this side of the girl. Her body position was one that he had only seen in seasoned warriors. She looked like she was ready for battle.

"Something dark and evil is heading towards Camelot." Kagome told him. Her face became one of determination. "They will be here by nightfall."

"What is coming?" Gaius asked her. Kagome had started to write on the parchment papers she had cut earlier. She told them they were talismans and would ward off evil. She kept scribbling on each one until she had bout ten talismans.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it is not natural." Kagome told him she started plastering the inside of the closet with the talismans, one on each wall, one on the ceiling, one on the floor, and one on the door. The rest she tucked in her dress sleeve for later use.

"If anything happens this closet is sealed, barricade yourself in it." Kagome explained to him. She was talking as if they might be separated during the fight. He knew that he would be unable to fight whatever it was that Kagome sensed, but he did not like the idea of leaving her alone to fight it.

"What about you?" Gaius asked, watching as she dashed around gathering herbs and tonics, ones that helped with wounds and fevers.

"I need to make sure the people of Camelot are safe. I will try to protect as many as I can." Kagome told him putting all the supplies in a bag and slinging it over her shoulders. They stared at each other for a few moments, neither wanting to break the silence. However, Gaius needed to tell her one last thing before she left.

"Promise me, Kagome. Promise me that if the city should fall you will leave and seek shelter elsewhere. Morgana will try to have you killed if you stay here, she sees you as a threat. You are the last hope Camelot has." Gaius told her. He was now worried something terrible happened to both Arthur and Merlin. Kagome was not the only one with the power to stop Morgause and Morgana.

Kagome hated to agree, not wanting to let others perish for her survival, but she knew that it was for the best. If she did not survive, she could not figure out a way to stop whatever it was that was coming.

A knock echoed throughout the room and slowly the door opened. "Gaius the king has summoned you." A servant boy told him quietly. The whole castle was on edge. The some of the knights have returned with fear written across their faces.

"Of course." Gaius set one comforting hand on Kagome's arm, silently telling her to be safe, before following after the boy.

* * *

Kagome walked along the palace hallway. Clanking of swords and armor could be heard as she walked closer towards the source of the noise. Sir Leon would be leading the knights as they defended the castle. The knights knew they were outnumbered and had rounded up every able-bodied man that could fight. All the women were being ushered into the castle for their protection. Kagome had been asked to stay within the physician's chambers several times already, not that she was going to. She had a duty to help defend the castle.

Kagome navigated her way through the numerous knights, towards the one she was looking for. Sir Leon was scared and nervous. He was gripping the crossbow like if it left his side he would die. "Sir Leon?"

Leon looked up at the young woman in front of him. She had changed out of her dress, opting to wear clothes that allowed more maneuverability. She had on a brown blouse with a black corset and tan skintight pants that were tucked into black knee high boots. Her wrists were covered in bracers that stored small throwing knives and a dagger was strapped across her right thigh. On her back was a beautifully carved wooden bow and an elegant longsword was attached to her belt.

"Lady Kagome, what are you doing here?" he asked, though he had a feeling that he would not like her response. "You should be in the main part of the castle with Guinevere."

"I am here to help and before you say no, remember you need all the help you can get" Kagome looked at Sir Leon with a fierce determination. She was not going to back down and he needed her help, whether he liked it or not.

"Lady Kagome, a battle field is no place for a lady."

"Sir Leon, I am a warrior first and foremost." Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "I am a skilled fighter and an expert swordswoman, which is something you will need in the upcoming battle."

"Lady Kagome…" Leon started. He needed to get his men ready for battle. The tension was already high and all the men were scared.

"No." Kagome interrupted. "I have been taught how to use the sword and have far more experience than most of the men in this room. If you would let a man who had never wielded a sword to join, then you have to let a woman with skills to join. You need all the skilled swordsmen you can get."

Sir Leon looked around. The woman did have a point. Many of the men that they had recruited only had basic knowledge on sword fighting. If she had any skill, she would be useful. He looked over towards the young woman. She did not show the awkwardness that most people did when first receiving weapons. Usually they would fiddle with them trying to get used to wearing them, but she did not. In fact, she looked like she was used to wielding weapons. Perhaps, she could aid them.

"If I allow you to fight, you must promise to stay alongside me. If anything should happen to you, I will be punished for even letting you get involved." Leon sighed. If he could keep her close then he could keep her safe.

"That is acceptable." Kagome nodded. "But I assure you. I will need no protecting. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"We shall see, we shall see." Sir Leon whispered watching the young woman turn around to help the others in passing out weaponry.

* * *

The whole castle was tense. All the soldiers were lining the streets in preparation for the battle. Night had come, with no rest, in only a short while it would be dawn and the assault will begin. Kagome spent most the night meditating and resting her body. When she was not meditation, she was trying to help the new knights with their battle stances and sword techniques. Many did not appreciate the help of a woman and many did not understand why she was there. Sir Leon interceded and told them that I showed more knowledge on sword fighting and that my advice was sound.

She knew he had been watching her and could feel his surprise when she advised the men. He probably figured she was bluffing when she had told him that she could fight, or did not realize how skilled she was. She was determined to show all of them that not all women had to be damsels in distress.

Sounds of trumpets reached her ears, followed by war cries. They enemy had started charging towards the gate. Kagome pulled out her sword, named Yorukaze or Night Wind. She had asked Elyan to make. He had been hesitant to make her one, but she had told him it was to be a gift and he seemed to relax. It had a simple yet elegant look with a black leather handle. It was light, allowing her faster movement.

"Remember, stay near me." Sir Leon told her as he readied his own sword.

Kagome nodded before they both ran into the charging battle. Swords clashed against swords. Kagome ducked and blocked all attacks coming towards her. However, every attack she made only stunned them slightly. They recovered from mortal wounds. Noticing a soldier creep up behind Sir Leon, Kagome quickly grabbed a sword from a dead knight and tossed it at the man, impaling him and sending him back.

Sir Leon had not noticed the man creeping up behind him, until he heard the pained grunt. He turned towards Kagome. They had been separated slightly during the fight, but she did not appear to be in trouble as she was now taking on several men on her own. In fact, she was doing better than most of the trained knights. She had not been lying when she said she was skilled. The soldier behind him stirred taking out the swords from his gut and returning to fight him. What on Earth were they fighting?

Kagome looked around at the knights. Many of the knights were dead or severely wounded. She had already deduced that Arthur and Merlin had failed to reach the cup in time and now it was in the hands of Morgause and Morgana. The army was immortal. Kagome looked back towards the citadel, there was no way she could fend off this entire army by herself and even if she could, the king would kill her for witchcraft afterwards. She needed to get to Sir Leon.

"Sir Leon! They are immortal! Pull the men back!" Kagome shouted as she blocked another series of attacks.

Leon looked around and noticed that she was right. None of the bodies on the ground were the enemy soldiers. They were all knights of Camelot. "Retreat!" He called and started to run back towards the castle. He did not notice Kagome slipping off towards the back gate

Kagome had promised Gaius that if they should fail in protecting the gate that she would flee the castle. She only hoped Sir Leon and the other knights would be safe. She was not separated from the rest of the group, no one but the enemy soldiers would see her now. She fused a little of her power into her sword. It would allow her to kill the enemy soldiers.

A group of soldiers noticed her and rushed to attack. She dodged the attack and brought her sword down, slicing one of the man's back. He started to scream as he was purified before shattering into dust. "You are not immortal, only undead."

Kagome said aloud to no one in particular. She could purify the undead, meaning these men posed no threat to her. Snapping her head towards the other soldiers, she charged. She needs to get out of here and find shelter. She would return when it was safe to look for survivors. Her mother always taught her to choose her battles wisely and it would be stupid to stay and fight the entire invading army.

Sheathing her sword and holding up her index and pointer finger, she summoned her whip. Smirking slightly to the men surrounding her she whipped her hand around, disintegrating the men. Quickly she started to make her way towards the rear gate. Hopefully, she could find a safe place to hunker down at.

* * *

The city was covered in bodies, everything was silent. The only thing moving was the fires and the three men that were slowly making their way throughout the city streets. Nobody dared to speak a word, either afraid it would attract enemy attention or they were just shocked by the devastation.

Arthur hobbled down the city streets, his leg wound was causing him great pain, but he had to find Gwen before returning to the castle. As quickly as he could he hobbled over to her house, trying desperately to open the door.

"Here let me." Gwaine offered. He helped Arthur move out of the way before breaking down the door. All three men entered the room. The house was ransacked much like the rest of the castle. That meant that Gwen and Kagome could be dead or in danger.

Slowly entering further into the house, they desperately hoped for some sign of life. As Arthur approached the back rooms, a figure jumped out at him, sword drawn. However, before the two swords met Merlin called out, identifying the assailant. "Elyan!"

"I'm sorry." Elyan gasped out. He looked shaken and his voice only confirmed it.

"Where is everyone?" Arthur asked. The other two men had been pondering the same question, as they made their way through the streets. They had not seen a single live soul and all the bodies littering the streets were soldiers.

"I- I thought that..." Eylan could not seem to get the words out of his mouth. He was still in shock seeing both Arthur and Merlin. When the army had arrived and no word had been heard from the two they had assumed them dead.

"Elyan, please, what happened?" Arthur needed to know how bad the situation was. They had not seen a single enemy soldier, which was making him wonder where they were.

"They came out of nowhere, a mighty army. Weapons were useless against them." Elyan paused still not believing what he saw was real. He had never encountered anything like what he faced on his travels. "Th-they were men, Sire, but not men. Nothing could kill them. Nothing."

"Wh... Where's your sister? Where's Guinevere?" Arthur asked. He needed to make sure she was safe. She obviously was not here and he could only hope she was in the castle.

Elyan's voice lost its shakiness as he replied. "She was in the citadel when they attacked."

Relief filled Arthurs hurting body. He started thinking about what his next move would be. "Then there's still hope." He sighed out in relief.

Elyan realized the prince did not truly comprehend how dire the situation was. "Sire" He softly spoke, making sure he had the princes attention before continuing. "The citadel's been taken."

Everyone in the room went silent at the news. They knew things were bad, but they did not know how bad they actually were. This meant they had nowhere to go and regroup. They would need to find a place to camp outside Camelot and hope to gather forces from outlying villages.

"We need to get inside the castle. I need to find my father and Gwen." Arthur said, breaking the silence. He needed to make sure they were alive and he needed to see who all he was up against.

They all exited the house following the limping Arthur. His wound would need tending to if they were going to make it into the castle and out again alive. The limp had gotten worse since he had been walking on it. "Let's go." Arthur said trying to run. Gwaine jogging right next to him.

Elyan grabbed Merlin, slowing down a little to put some distance between them and the prince. He knew Merlin worked closely with Gaius and was close to Arthur. He hoped Merlin would be able to answer his question. "How much longer can he keep going like this?"

Merlin looked concerned as he replied. "I don't know." The truth was that Arthur could collapse any second. The wound was bad and he looked feverish. The magic he tried might have helped a little, but they would need Gaius's medicine.

* * *

The castle was quiet, much like the rest of the city. Much like the streets, the hallways were covered with dead knights. As they approached the castle stairwell, they heard sounds of footsteps echoing in the passageway. Cenred's knights were rushing down the stairs blocking that way up.

Turning back, they headed down another dark corridor. Once again seeing the bodies of Camelot's fallen on the floor. Arthur rushed ahead only to falter in his steps, catching one of the window openings for balance.

"Where now?" Gwaine asked occasionally looking back at where they had just came from, making sure there were no possible enemies coming in behind them. He noticed that Arthur was growing weaker. They would need to hurry before he passed out again.

"Now, er... Now we, er..." Arthur said trying to stay focuses. His body was hurting and he felt light headed, but he needed to find Gwen and his father.

Merlin grabbed Arthurs falling shoulder, turning him slightly to face him. "Arthur, you can't go on." Arthur needed to focus on himself. He was Camelot's last chance, if something were to happen to him it would not matter if they could stop Morgana, no one would be there to take the throne.

"We must. We must find the others..." Arthur managed to say through heavy breaths. Walking with his injured leg was starting to take its toll on the rest of his body. He could barely make out images and he felt out of breath.

"You can't go on without treatment." Merlin tried to be the voice of reason, but Arthur did not seem to hear him. "...Guinevere and my father." Arthur continuing what he had started to say before Merlin interrupted him.

Knowing Arthur would not give up until her knew that both Gwen and the king were safe the only option was to finish the search without him. "Elyan."

"Yeah?" Elyan replied as he moved closer to the servant boy.

"Do you know your way to the dungeons?" Merlin asked. If Gwaine and Elyan could continue the search, he could try to find some medicine for Arthur.

"Yeah, I think so." Elyan replied. He had only been in the castle a few times and the only time he had been down in the dungeon was when Gwen was being charged with witchcraft.

"Go with Gwaine. See if you can find them." Merlin told them. They needed to move fast. He was not sure if he could find medicine for Arthur and if he could not they would not last long.

Elyan and Gwaine turned around to head back towards the stairwell. They could only hope that the soldiers were no longer there for it was the only way to the dungeons. Seeing the two run off towards the dungeons caused Arthur to speak up once again in protest. "I'm going with them."

"No, you're not." Merlin stated firmly. He did not care what the prince thought he was going to do. He would drag him to Gaius's quarters if he had too.

"That's an order." Arthur told him, hoping that it might scare Merlin into obeying him. I did not surprise him too much though when Merlin did not comply.

"No, to hell with your orders. You're coming with me." Merlin wrapped Arthurs arm around his shoulders forcing the prince to head down the hall opposite of were their two friends went. He needed to find medicine, and then he could search for Gaius and Kagome.


	6. Reunion

Kagome slowly filled the bucket with water. She had found a place to camp nearby and waited until the sounds of battle ceased before returning to the castle to look for survivors. She to find some wounded soldiers and had snuck them out of Camelot while the Cenred's men were too busy storming the castle. The injured Camelot knights were wounded badly and in normal circumstances they would have bleed out slowly, which is probably what their assailants thought as well. Kagome, however, was not a normal healer. She healed the major internal injuries, leaving just enough wounds to be believable. Last thing she wanted was for her magical gifts to be discovered, by either the knights or Morgana.

Kagome made her way back towards the small cave she had taken shelter in. Now that they had full control of the castle, Kagome was certain that Morgana would be sending out patrols. The cave was damp, but it provided shelter and she could easily defend it. Entering the cave she set the water down by the make shift beds tucked off in the corner. The two men she rescued were shaking with fever, their wounds were starting to become infected. She would need to clean them and put some herbs on to stop the infection.

Taking the scrap clothes she made from their capes, she dipped them in the water. Gently, she set the cold wet clothes on the foreheads of the men. Next, she started to undress the wounds to clean them. She smeared the healing salve on the wounds before re-bandaging them.

A groan brought her out of her thoughts, alerting her to the consciousness of her patient. "Wh…Where….Where…am…I?" He rasped out, his eyes opening to stare at the cave ceiling.

"You are in a cave, just outside Camelot." Kagome gently replied, causing the man to turn his light blue eyes down to the woman dressing his stomach wound. He had seen her a few times around the prince and had noticed her fighting alongside Sir Leon during the battle, but they had not been formally introduced.

"How?" He rasped out again. The last thing he remembered was the immortal army attacking the main gate. He had been slashed across the chest before falling in one of the ditches.

"I found you wounded and brought you here." Kagome told him. She turned to smile up at the man. He was probably around the same age Arthur, judging by his appearance was. He long ear length brown hair with slight stubble on his face.

"You were quite heavy." Kagome laughed. However, she could easily lift him again. She was stronger than the average person was, just as Midoriko had been. "May I get you name sir knight?" Kagome asked playfully. She was happy she had someone to talk with. She had found them around noon, if her internal clock was right, and it was now getting close to sun down.

"I am Sir Lucan, milady." He managed to say. Kagome had heard of Sir Lucan, he was close to Arthur, much like Sir Leon. She would equate him to being Arthur's personal guard. He was one of the men that trained with Arthur.

"What of Camelot?" He asked after a bit of silence. Kagome could see he was struggling to remain conscious. He had probably dozed off a bit before remembering the battle once again.

"I am afraid Camelot has been taken." Kagome told him sadly. Straightening up she quickly finished dressing the rest of his wounds. "Rest, you will need your strength later."

The knight nodded before allowing sleep to take him once again. Kagome turned to look out the cave. She hoped Gwen and Gaius were safe.

* * *

Merlin quickly set Arthur down on the table bench in Gaius's room. They had almost been caught several times, managing to hide at the last minute. Arthur had complained most of the way, only becoming silent when footsteps were heard.

"You're disobeying orders, Merlin. I'll have you in the stocks for this." Arthur told him as he tried to sit up on the bench. His pain was getting worse and now his entire body ached.

"Fine. Now, stay put and try not to move that leg." Melin knew that the prince's threats were empty and even if they were not then it would be worth the minor embarrassment if that meant Arthur would live. He had hoped he would find Kagome and Gaius here, but it looks like he was on his own.

Merlin started looking through various potions. 'Why can't Gaius label these things? It would be helpful to know what they are.' Merlin thought picking up several different potions only to put them back. The sound of glass breaking startles him out of his search. The noise was coming from the closet. Quietly he picks up Arthur's sword and makes his way to the closet. As his hand reaches the handle, he suddenly swings it open hoping to scare whoever or whatever is in there.

"Gaius!" Merlin's eyes grew big and a smile manages to cross his face at seeing his mentor. However, he had to wonder what the man was doing in the closet in the first place.

"Merlin!" Gaius shouts pulling the young boy into a hug. He had thought he would never get to see him again. This was wonderful news, Arthur and Merlin were alive, which means Camelot's hope was growing.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked him as he glanced over him for wounds. He had expected some sort of wound, Morgana knew Gaius did not trust her and thought she would try to have him killed.

"Yes, Kagome warded the closet and made it so none of the soldiers could enter. They gave up after a while and I became much better after seeing you." Gaius told him. The soldiers had come in the room, but he managed to make it to the closet. He had heard the cries of the soldier who tried to open the door. After a few attempts, the soldiers gave up and moved on.

Arthur's moan alerted Gaius to his presence in the room. "Arthur." The boy did not look so well, something was wrong. He tried to head over to him but was stopped by Merlin.

"I tried to heal him using magic, but it didn't work." He explained. Magic could only do so much and it was nothing like what Kagome could do. Now that he thought about it the girl he was surprised, she was not in the closet with Gaius. She obviously warded both the closet and Gwen's house, but he had not seen a trace of her in either.

Gaius nodded before making his way over to Arthur. He could smell the blood on the young man and noticed how he clutched his leg. "This may hurt a bit, Sire." Gaius warned before pulling the fabric back to inspect the leg. Arthur groaned in pain at the action

It was as he thought. "The wound's infected. I'll have to redress the leg to reduce the inflammation." He had started to move towards his workbench when Arthur called out.

"No, no, no, no. We haven't got time. Just give me something to keep going." Arthur tried to sit up. They needed to find Gwen and his father fast. The longer they waited the less likely their entrance would go unnoticed.

"Yes, Sire." Gaius nodded. Arthur really needed to have his wound dressed, but he was right, they did not have the time. He would have to redress it later. Both Gaius and Merlin walked over to the workbench. Kagome had taken most of the tonics, but he had the supplies to make a new one.

"It's the army of immortals, isn't it?" Merlin asked. He already knew, but wanted to hear it from his mentor's lips.

"We'll be lucky to get away with our lives, any of us." Gaius told him. Things were very dire indeed, but if they did manage to get out of the castle they may just have a chance.

"Gaius, where is Kagome?" Merlin asked. He hoped nothing happened to her. Kagome had told him that she could feel Morgana's hatred towards her, which means that if Morgana was able to capture her she would probably be killed.

"She went down to the city to help defend the Castle." Gaius told him. He had not heard anything from anyone since the invasion. Noticing the boy's crestfallen look, he decided to cheer him up. "She told me that if things got bleak she would run and find a place to hide."

"Do you really think she is alive, Gaius?" Merlin had seen how many were dead among the streets. Kagome may be a powerful sorcerer but there was no way she could take on an immortal army.

"Kagome is a smart girl and able to take care of herself." Gaius reassured him. Shaking one of the bottles in his hand, he walked back towards Arthur. "You may want to clench your teeth, sire, this is going to sting."

Gaius poured one of the tonics on Arthur's wound, causing the man to jump and moan through clenched teeth. This will help clean the wound and it will numb it for a time being. "Now drink this." Gaius said handing Arthur the other tonic that will reduce the inflammation. "The effect will be instant, Sire, but I cannot guarantee how long it'll last."

"Thank you, Gaius." Arthur said after finishing the tonic. Already he could feel the pain subside; now it was more of a dull ache.

The door burst open and their two companions raced towards them. "The King, Sire, he's alive." Elyan said managing to catch his breath before Gwaine.

"Where is he?" Arthur asked jumping to his feet. His father was alive, this was the first good news he had heard.

This time, it was Gwaine who spoke up. "They're taking him to the throne room as we speak."

Realizing how little time they have Arthur quickly turned around to grab his sword. "This may be my last chance." He needed to get there before they had the time to kill his father.

"Arthur, there's too many of them. You'll never make it." Merlin tried to reason with the prince. Now that the potions had kicked in Arthur was back to being his stubborn and insensible self.

"I won't leave my father to die here alone." Arthur told him before turning to look at the two other men. "Gwaine, Elyan, take Gaius and make your way to the woods beyond the castle. I hope we meet again."

Gwaine and Elyan nod before turning around and running out the door, Gaius following behind them. They did not like the idea of leaving Arthur behind, but the longer they were in the castle the less likely they were to make it out alive.

"Merlin, you should go with them." Arthur told him, offering him a way out of the dangerous mission he was about to go on.

Merlin glanced towards the door the others just left through before looking back at Arthur. "Nah, I've seen the woods already." His face did not show the humor that had been in his words and tone. It seemed he set the princes mind at ease though because he tossed him a small smile. The two men left the room and headed towards the throne room, hoping to make it there in time.

Merlin also hoped that his friend would be able to make it out of the castle alive. If anything happened to Arthur and Him then at least they still had their lives.

* * *

Gaius, Elyan, and Gwaine were running through the woods. They had been spotted by a patrol making their way through the forest, looking for Arthur and Melin. It had been two whole days since they had last seen them and they had heard no word that he was captured.

However, their search would have to wait. Several soldiers were right on their trails, if they could not lose them, they would be killed.

"Get down!" A female voice shouted from amidst the trees. Gaius immediately dropped to the ground recognizing the voice. He was glad the girl was still alive. Following Gaius's example the other two dropped to the floor too. They barely made it on the ground when a huge log came swinging overhead, hitting the pursuing men in the side and knocking them into a ditch.

Standing up, they walked over to look into the pit, all the men where in a huge pile, some groaning and some unconscious. "That won't keep them there for long. We have to hurry." Kagome said climbing down from one of the trees off to the side of them. She was immediately caught into a hug as soon as her boots hit the ground.

"Kagome!" Gaius said hugging the young woman. "Thank goodness you are alive."

Kagome wrapped her arms around the old man. "It's good to see you too, Gaius." Kagome said jokingly. Gaius pulled back to look over the young woman. She was no longer dressed in a dress. Instead, she was wearing a brown blouse with a black corset and tan skintight pants that were tucked into black knee high boots.

"Who is this lovely vision?" Gwaine asked walking up next to Gaius. The woman was one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on. She had an exotic beauty about her.

"Should we not be getting out of here?" Elyan asked. The men in the pit were starting to come around and he did not want to be here when they escaped that pit.

"Elyan is right. We will have time for introductions later." Kagome told them walking around the tree she just climbed down from she picked up her sword and the game she had killed. Noticing the stares, she just nodded towards the direction she was headed. "This way boys, there is a cave not far that we can hide out in."

"So…Who is she?" Gwaine asked Elyan. The man had not spoken much, only stared at her with a puzzled look on her face.

"She works in the castle with my sister. However, I have never seen her like this." Elyan said, noticing the woman's armaments. She had a bow strapped to her back and on her side was the sword he made at her request. Guess it was not a gift after all. "She looks completely different."

"She may not be normal, but she is gorgeous." Gwaine said before running to catch up with the beautiful woman. Gaius and Elyan followed behind them.

"So, what was that back there?" Gwaine asked trying to keep up with the small woman. For someone so short she sure walked fast. He practically had to jog to keep up with her. "With the log, I mean."

Kagome looked over at the ruggedly handsome man. He was nice to look at, but he was too much of a player to interest her. "It was a trap I had made, just in case I was ever tailed."

Gwaine was shocked. This little woman managed to set a log trap, by herself. He would have thought the log would have been too much for her to hoist up.

Kagome lead the men to the small cave hidden behind trees and a rock face. She had been hiding here since the attack. It was big enough to shelter everyone and then some. Slowly she stepped down the slope that led to the entrance. Entering the cave she smiled at the two men that were resting along the caves walls. "I brought back food!" Kagome told them holding up the game she had killed, before nodding towards the people behind her. "And some friends."

Both men smiled at the young woman. She had nursed them all while they were unconscious. She had told them their wounds she be healed in a few more days, but until then she ordered them all to stay put. They learned fast it was not smart to anger the woman.

Setting the game down Kagome stood up and clapped her hands gathering everyone's attention. "I believe introductions are in order."

Gwaine was the first speak up, introducing himself. "I am Gwaine, my dear lady." Gwaine said picking up Kagome's hand and placing a kiss on it. "You already seem to know Elyan and Gaius."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gwaine." Kagome said pulling her hand out of his and smiling the entire time. "And please, call me Kagome. I do not care for all the milady crap." Gwaine smiled, here was a woman after his own heart.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the heads to focus on the two men resting on the cave floors.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sir Lucan and this is my cousin Sir Jaufre." Lucan said pointing over to the slightly older man. You could tell they were related they both shared similar facial structure and the same light blue eyes. The only real difference was Jaufre had blond hair, though it was cut in a similar fashion to his cousin.

"Sir Lucan, Sir Jaufre, I am so happy to see you both alive. We had feared that all the knights perished." Gaius said looking at the two men. He knew these two young men. He had treated their wounds since birth. Arthur was always pushing them to train harder. It was good to see that they had made it out alive.

"We would not be alive if it was not for your kind assistant." Jaufre replied, causing Kagome to blush as all eyes went to her. "She found us, dressed our wounds, and nursed up back to life. We owe her much."

Kagome looked at the two men with a kind smile on her face. "You do not owe me anything. I could not sit by and let you die, when I could save you."

Gauis laughed at the girl. She did not know much about knights it seems. "There is no point in discouraging them. When a knight's life is saved, they are indebted to the one who saved them. It is a matter of honor."

Kagome sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do to sway them. Deciding to change the topic, she turned slightly to look at the three men. "So what were you doing in the woods?"

"We were looking for Arthur and Merlin." Gaius said, looking at the young woman. He could tell by her reaction that she was surprised. She must have not expected them to return to Camelot.

"You mean Merlin and Arthur are here?" Kagome asked. She could not hold back her joy. She had been worried that they were caught and being held captive in Cenred's kingdom and would not make it back.

"Yes, they returned right after Morgana took control of Camelot." Elyan told her. He was happy to see Kagome alive, but they needed to look for Arthur and Merlin. Arthur was still wounded and would need Gaius to dress his wounds. "We should continue our search."

"You, Gwaine, and Kagome can continue the search. I would only slow you down. I can stay here and treat these two." Gaius said.

"There are herbs in the back of the cave. I used all the tonics, but there should be enough herbs to create a healing salve." Kagome told him as she bent down to picking up her weapons. She wanted to find Merlin. She needed to make sure he was ok. It had been torture the last week, not knowing if she would ever see him again. She missed him greatly. He seemed to be the only one she could really talk too. The thought that she had lost him had broken her heart. It was then she knew that she had fallen for the quirky young warlock.

"Are you sure it is wise to bring her, Gaius?" Elyan whispered quietly to the older man. He did not like the idea of putting her in danger.

Kagome overheard his question but decided to ignore it and began to walk out of the cave "Are you two coming or not?" As she walked out of site, the two men realized she was leaving with or without them and rushed after her.

* * *

"So, Kagome, do you know how to fight with a sword?" Gwaine asked as he walked alongside the small woman. The sword looked like it would be too long and heavy for her to wield. However, if she could rig a log trap then she could probably wield it. "I could show you some moves."

Kagome looked at the man. It was obvious he was trying to charm her. His attempts made her want to laugh. "I have been well trained in the art of swordsmanship, but thank you for your offer." The poor man looked like she shot down his dreams. However, his sad pout did not last long.

"And the bow?" He asked. He was not the greatest archer, preferring to fight with his fists, but he could still use a bow.

"Archery is my specialty." Kagome said with a smirk. Her eyes glinted with humor. She was far more trained than either man here was, but she was sure none of them knew that. Women in these lands did not fight, they were maids or wives.

"Might I ask where you learned how to fight, Kagome?" Elyan asked. He was not sure he believed she could use a bow or a sword, but she has always been honest, so why would she start now?

"Where I come from women could learn how to fight. I had a friend that was trained to slay evil magical creatures and she was female." Kagome told them. Both were kind of true, in the future any one could learn how to fight and Sango was a demon exterminator.

The sound of a twig snapping caused them all to draw their swords. They were fairly deep in the forest for patrols to be out here, but if they were looking for survivors it might explain why they would come out this far. Suddenly Kagome broke out into a smile, quickly sheathing her sword she ran off in the direction of the sound. Neither man had time to stop her before she was out of reach. The best they could do is run after her.

Kagome ran as fast as she could. She knew that aura it belonged to Merlin. She stopped next to a tree. There he was, he was gathering water. Smiling she stepped out from the tree line alerting him to her presence.

Merlin heard the sound of leaves crunching underneath a foot. Turning face his attacker, he was unprepared for the young woman who barreled into his chest. Looking down he noticed the raven colored hair that belonged to only one person he knew. "Kagome!" Merlin shouted in joy as he wrapped his arms around the girl.

"Looks like you might have some competition." Elyan said as he watched the scene. It was obvious the two loved each other. Kagome was snuggling her face into his chest as he rested his on her head.

"No, he already won." Gwaine said smiling at the scene. A much as he loved romance, he preferred it when he was involved. "Merlin! There you are." He called out causing them both to jump back blushing.

"Gwaine! Elyan!" Merlin could not help the smile. Not only had he found Gwaine and Elyan, but he also found Kagome. He had tried to search for her, but he could not go too far, not with Arthur being injured.

"Looks like your safe." Gwaine said smirking slightly.

"I am but Arthur has a fever. I tried dressing his wounds, but I am not very good at it." Merlin told them pointing over to a small makeshift camp where the prince was laying. Arthur was shaking and sweat poured down his face. They needed to get him back to the cave where Gaius was.

"We should bring him back to the cave. I have herbs there and Gaius is there as well." Kagome told them walking up to the shaking prince. Subtly she let some of her powers seep into him, helping his healing process. It should help clear him of his infection, but the rest would be up to him.


	7. A Prince's Amazement

"How is he?" Merlin asked. He was currently sitting on a fallen tree, looking out towards the smoking castle. Arthur had been getting worse and he had been worried that the wound would take the prince's life.

"He should be fine in a couple days. The problem was not the wound but the infection." Kagome told him as she sat down next to him. "I managed to take away most of the infection, the salve can handle the rest."

Merlin glanced over at the young witch he had come to love. He stared into her eyes, watching the peace that they reflected. He had been amazed to see her so calm with all the devastation around them. She truly was a creature of magic.

Merlin brought an arm up and rested his palm against Kagome's face. He had, yet to truly, take in the fact that they had reunited. "I thought I lost you." Silently he vowed that he would never let her out of his sights again.

"When you were not at the castle with Gaius, I was worried that Morgana had found you." Kagome had told him how Morgana treated her. It was much like how she treated himself. Morgana had tried to kill him numerous times and would no doubt have tried to kill her. Kagome was a threat to her and she knew it.

Kagome pulled back with a grin on her face and placed on hand on her chest in a humorously shocked manner. "Like I would let that woman capture me."

Merlin smiled at the young woman letting out the first small laugh he made all week. She knew exactly what to say and what to do to put him in a better mood.

* * *

Swords clashing could be heard echoing in the forests. I was becoming more and more difficult to hunt. Morgause and Morgana must have realized they were hiding within the forest and had been sending men into the forest to look for them.

"Gwaine!" Elyan said alerting the man to the enemy behind him. Gwaine quickly blocked the oncoming attack and managed to push the man away. This was the second time a patrol had spotted them. At this rate, they were sure to be found.

Arthur managed to knock a sword out of the soldier's hand, tossing it away from him. He kicked him as he bent to pick up the sword, watching as he started to tumble down the hill. Looking around he tried to see how the others were faring. Gwaine was busy fighting two men, using both his sword and his head. Elyan was fighting a soldier off in the distance.

Arthur turned to look for the last member of the group, Kagome. He had told her that she should stay in the cave with the others, where it was safe. However, the stubborn woman told him that he was not in charge of her and that she had been the one hunting during the time he was ill. When he finally spotted her he was quite shock by what he saw. There she was near a big tree fighting three men. The sword he had noticed attached to her hip, moved to block and parry every oncoming attack. He had heard from Gwaine and Elyan that she could fight, but he did not expect her to fight with expert precision. Her moves looked like a dance, the way she twirled and glided around the men with an elegance he had never witnessed in sword fighting. It was beautiful to watch.

Kagome managed to avoid all her assailants' attack, while slowly moving them towards her goal. When they were but a step away, she swung her sword as had as she could, knocking them off their feet and into a pit below.

The only men that remained were the one Gwaine was fighting and the one Elyan was fighting. Gwaine had managed to knock the other man out, leaving only one left out of the two he had been fighting. The dark soldiers seemed to realize their companions were taken out when the three people who were not fighting surrounded them. They flashed each other a look before scurrying off in the forest.

"How many of those traps did you create?" Gwaine asked noticing the pit off in the distance. She never ceased to amaze him. He had noticed her fighting, never once had he seen anything like it.

Kagome smirked while she glanced back towards the pit. They had come in handy twice now. "I made a few along the different paths I found, just in case I ran into patrols." It was partially the truth. She created them in case she ran up against a patrol with too many men to fight. Her powers made small patrols like this nothing, but she could not use them with people around.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Arthur said, staring at the girl in shock. No woman he had ever met knew how to fight as well as a knight of Camelot, or better in this case. Sure he had met some women, like Gwen who knew the basics of wielding a sword, but never one who had mastered the art.

"What surprised that a girl like me could kick grown men's butt?" Kagome joked at him. Arthur looked completely shocked. She knew that he had talked to both Gwaine and Elyan when she had asked to join their hunting party. So what was he shocked about? "I was trained by several different masters." It was true in a way. She had watched Inuyasha and Sesshomaru fight, Sango taught her some basics, and Midoriko taught her everything else she knew. "So, you can no longer tell me to stay where it is safe."

Arthur could only watch as she walked off. "Please tell me I am not the only one surprised by that?" He whispered to the group of men beside him. All the men shock their heads. "Surprised me too when I first saw her fight. That elegance." Elyan replied. His thoughts mirroring the other men's exactly.

* * *

Merlin cautiously made his way out of the cave, not wanting to alert anyone to his departure. He had talked to Freya and she told him he needed to get to the lake as fast as he can, that she was going to help him. He wanted to return before the others noticed he was gone and would need the assistance of the great dragon in order to make the journey.

"Where are you going?" Kagome asked softly. She had managed to persuade Arthur to allow her the first night watch. He seemed to be more inclined to receive her aid since the battle today. She had hoped this meant he would allow her to join him when they tried to stop Morgana.

Merlin jumped at the sound of the female's voice and quickly turned to look at her. If she had not of spoke, he would have thought her to be asleep. Her eyes were closed as she rested against the tree, one hand dangling over a knee, the other wrapped around her sword.

She looked like Arthur did when they camped out, like a knight. Glancing at the glistening sword Merlin remembered what he had overheard Gwaine and Elyan talking about. Kagome had fought off three immortal men with her sword. Arthur had been trying to teach him, but he was not very skilled. He was a wizard, not a warrior, but it appeared as though Kagome was both.

Looking back toward her face, he noticed her royal blue eyes were open and she was staring at him. "I need to go somewhere." Merlin told her before looking around. Why was she not in the cave? "What are you doing out here?"

"I was assigned the first watch." Kagome explained. "It is a good thing, too. If it had been any other they probably would have stopped you."

Merlin had completely forgotten about the people-keeping lookout. Kagome was right, if anyone else had seen him, he would have never been able to leave unnoticed. "You will let me leave?" Merlin asked. She had to know that he was going into enemy lands.

"We have a duty to protect this kingdom." Kagome told him turning her head to look at the full moon. "Besides, if you do not return, I will hunt you down." Kagome said jokingly.

Merlin nodded with a smile before heading towards the clearing he always met Kilgharrah. He would return, not only to save Camelot but also for her.

* * *

Merlin returned sometime around lunchtime. I seemed no one but Kagome noticed his disappearance. He quietly made his way towards the cave. He did not want to alert anyone to his return. Unfortunately, he forgot about Kagome's sensing powers.

"They are all out scouting, well, except for Gaius." Kagome said walking up behind the startled wizard. Merlin tossed her a look before walking into the cave normally. He was going to die of a heart attack if she kept this up.

"What is that?" Kagome asked, noticing the beautiful sword. She knew it was no ordinary blade, she could feel power radiating off the blade. So..this was what Merlin had to retrieve, the legendary sword Excalibler.

"It is a sword that can kill the dead." Merlin told her as he made his way over to his bedding. He did not want Arthur finding this sword. He was the only one who needed to know its power, well and Kagome.

"So it can kill the immortal army." Kagome stated in amazement. Sure, her weapons could kill the creatures, but this was infused with a different type of magic, one as ancient as hers.

Merlin looked over at her. How did she know it could kill the army? He had not been aware of their undead state until recently. "Yeah. How did you….?" Merlin asked.

"This is not my first time around the undead." Kagome told him. Kikyo was the first undead she came across, but she had experiences with others. "I could recognize it in their auras."

Merlin started covering the sword with the blankets. "Having a little lie down, Merlin?" Arthur's voice asked as he entered the cave. He had not seen Merlin all day and had figured the man was still asleep or goofing off.

"No." Merlin said looking over his crouched shoulder.

"Good. Because the time for sleeping's over." There was a look on Arthur's face, one that had not been seen since their return, the look of hope. He had recovered from the shock of finding out Morgana was his half-sister and of her betrayal.

Merlin stood up to face the approaching prince. "You seem better."

"You're hopeless at a lot of things, Merlin. Well, most thing, in fact. But very occasionally, quite by accident, you say something useful." Kagome could not tell if Arthur was giving Merlin a compliment or an insult.

"Really?"

"Yesterday, amongst all your gibberish, you said something that, if I didn't know you, I'd be completely fooled into thinking you were..." Arthur trailed off trying to think of the correct word he wanted to use.

Merlin looked as perplexed as Arthur did. What did he say that made an effect on the prince's mood? "What?

"Wise." It was the only word Arthur could think of, that described how Merlin appeared on that occasion. What Arthur did not know was that Merlin was wise. He was far wiser than most his age.

Merlin gave Arthur a disbelief look, a small smile tugging on his lips, and shook his head.  
"Nah."

Before Arthur could tell them anything about his possible plans, they heard shouting and it was slowly approaching their position. Arthur pulled out his sword and made his way to the front of the cave were Gwaine was waiting, sword drawn. Merlin was right behind them. Kagome leisurely walked out, knowing exactly who was approaching the cave. She came out right as Arthur grabbed Gwen.

"Guinevere!" Arthur shouted pulling the woman into his embrace. He had been worrying about her since they left the castle. Elyan had told him she was not in the dungeons with the others and was worried something happened to her.

"Sir Leon." Noticing the knight standing behind her, he walked up and shook hands with the older knight.

Kagome drew her sword, startling Merlin. She could feel a group of the undead soldiers making their way here. Spreading her powers out she tried to find out how they knew where they were. Gwen's aura, no wonder it seemed a little off, Morgana had put a tracing spell on her.

"We've been found!" Elyan shouted. He, Sir Lucan, and Sir Laufre had been out scouting when they noticed the men approaching the cave. They were all making their way down the hill towards the rest of the group. "They're almost upon us!"

Arthur turned towards Merlin "Get Gaius."

"We need to get out of here. Run!" Arthur shouted as he pushed people towards the chasm by the cave. He followed behind them with Kagome at his side.

Kagome looked back and saw Gaius running behind them, but she did not see Merlin. Turning around she ran past Gaius, as she turned the corner she noticed Merlin emerging from the cave. He did not notice the soldier that was creeping up to the entrance.

"Merlin, in front of you!" Kagome yelled drawing the man's focus from the sword to the dark knight in front of him. He managed to block the attack before making a clean swing, destroying the undead knight. Merlin glanced up at her in surprise, not expecting her to of been there.

"Hurry!" Kagome shouted turning back towards the others. Snapping out of his shock, Merlin followed behind her. They caught up with the rest of the group as a pile of rocks came tumbling into the gorge, blocking the enemies path.

Kagome looked up, noticing the two men in chainmail first. She had never seen them before, but could tell the other did because smiles and relief filled their faces. "Lancelot." Gwen whispered out.

"We need to hurry." Lancelot said. The rocks would only hold them back for so long. He moved towards the small path were the chasm ended.

* * *

"I take it that rock fall wasn't an accident." Arthur said. He was happy to see another familiar face. The day seem to be getting better, they now had three more knights.

Lancelot nodded and patted his friend on the back. "This is Percival. It was his strength that brought them down."

"Your Highness." Percival replied with a slight bow of the head.

"Arthur." Arthur said while holding out his hand. Any person who would risk their lives to save his was a friend and he could use all the friends he could get.

Percival looked at Arthur than at his hand then back to his face, before smiling and grabbing the hand. "Arthur it is." He never met a royal that allowed others to call them so informally. He could tell he would like this Prince Arthur.

"What were you doing here?" Arthur asked them, but Merlin spoke up before either of them could reply.

"Er...it was me. I sent for him." Merlin told Arthur approaching the talking men.

"Well, we owe you our lives." Arthur said smiling and shaking Lancelot's hands before patting Percival on the arm. "Thank you."

Glancing back Lancelot noticed someone new to the group. He had met Sir Leon, Lucan, and Laufre when Arthur had trained him in the ways of the knight, but he had never seen the small Asian woman.

"Who is that woman?" He asked looking towards the girl who was talking to Gwen. The two girls seemed to care for another hugging each other and smiling. Arthur looked back and noticed who he was looking at.

"Kagome!" Arthur shouted, gaining the attention of the woman. "Come here and let me introduce you the old friend I was talking about." He had told Kagome about Lancelot before and it seemed to interest her.

Kagome laid a hand on Gwen's shoulder before walking over to the men. Both men were attractive. Lancelot had black hair with a gruffy beard, while the other had a nearly shaved head and a bit of a baby face.

"Kagome, this is Lancelot and Percival." Arthur introduced. Kagome bowed her head slightly in their direction. She had heard about Lancelot from both Gwen and Arthur, as well as from storybooks, but had never heard about Percival.

Both men nodded at the young woman. She was quite a bit shorter than they expected and younger too, only around eighteen years of age.

"Men, this is Kagome, the only woman who could take down any knight in Camelot." Arthur laughed out causing the young girl to blush slightly and the men's jaws to slack.

Kagome elbowed Arthur in the ribs causing the man to hunch over slightly and let out a sound of pain. "Arthur, there is no need to point that part out." Kagome whispered angrily at him. Now she would be asked a ton of questions she did not feel like answering.

"You can fight, Lady Kagome?" Lancelot asked getting over his initial shock. Not that he looked at her he could see how tone her body was and callouses covering her hands, they all spoke of how trained she was.

"Only Kagome, please." Kagome sighed. "And yes, I can fight."

"Arthur, might I ask where we are going to go now? Morgana knows about the cave now." Elyan asked the prince coming up to stand next to him. While they still had time before nightfall, they would still need to gather food. All their reserves were back in the cave.

Arthur looked around taking in everyone's condition. They were breathing hard, probably due to a combination of adrenaline and the running they did. "I know of a place."


End file.
